


A Trip Through Time

by GingerSnipps



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Era! Sides, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24168112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerSnipps/pseuds/GingerSnipps
Summary: Four friends (and maybe some others) work together at a local community theatre in their small town. Unfortunately for Virgil; however, the director presents the theatre team with a little change in the roles. Whether stepping out of their comfort zones, or fighting internal battles, this show is going to be a little different and challenging for everyone.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 37
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1 - A Change in Roles

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warnings: Cursing, panic attack. Will post at the beginnings of chapters.
> 
> This is based off an AU myself and a few other Fanders thought of. It is my first experience writing fanfiction, so please be kind, but if you notice any grammar or spelling mistakes, don't be afraid to point them out. As this is an AU, the characters in this are not a part of Thomas, they are different people, and so they will have different physical features based off my interpretations. Please be respectful, and I hope you enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! If you didn't read the description, I'll have you know that this chapter contains mild cursing, and a brief panic attack. Also, this is an AU so please do not make comments about sharing the same features, as they do not in this story. Also, if you catch any grammatical or spelling errors, don't hesitate to point it out to me. This is my first fanfic, so I'm very new to this so please be kind, but I'm always trying to learn and improve. And lastly, please remember to be respectful to both me and other people in the comments, and without further ado, let's get into the story. Enjoy!
> 
> _(o,o)_

"You mean I have to wear this?" Virgil held up the black and grey gown that was taller than him. "How?"

"Don't worry, kiddo! You won't be the only one wearing a dress." Patton said, with a small smile.

"It's not the dress I'm worried about, although wearing it in front of half the town doesn't exactly fill me with joy. No, the fact that this dress is for someone who doesn't have to wear stilts to reach the top shelf. Not to mention, how am I supposed to walk while wearing seventeen layers of petticoats?" Virgil frowned at Patton with a raised eyebrow.

Virgil worked in the community theatre with his closest friends: Roman, Logan, and Patton. Roman loved every aspect of the theatre, and had brought up the idea of joining a few months ago. Patton had immediately agreed, being enthusiastic about everything, but Logan and Virgil had taken some convincing. Logan eventually agreed after Roman pleaded and begged (and bribed him with Crofter's), but Virgil still protested. He was deathly afraid of the stage, and wanted no business in front of a crowd. He'd finally learned to act naturally around his _friends_. Performing in front of hundreds of strangers was not something he even wanted to think about. Logan however, brought up that he could work backstage, with the lights and sound. Although Virgil still didn't like it, he decided that it was better than being on stage, and he didn't want to be the only one in the group who didn't agree anyway.

After about four months of working backstage, Virgil had actually grown fond of his experiences at the theatre. He loved the way all the machinery for lights and sound made sense. Everything was orderly, at the same time as it was chaotic. If something went wrong during a show, he and his team required little to no communication before immediately getting to work to finish it. He'd grown close with his team -not as close as he was with Logan, Patton, and Roman- but close nonetheless. There was Janus, whose looks could kill, but who was really sweet and a little dorky once you got to know him. And then there was Remus, who would point out that 'dork' actually refers to the male genitalia of a whale. He was weird, for sure, and a little crazy at times, but he was interesting and Virgil liked that about him. He made working at the theatre fun, but knew when it was time to be serious and get things done.

But of course, he still had fun with his best friends at the theatre, too. He'd originally been close friends with Logan since they were six years old, and he was the only person Virgil could trust until his early teens. Around the time the two of them were fourteen, on the first day of school, two new kids came to their school. Logan had invited them to eat lunch together, even though Virgil was anxious about talking to anyone besides Logan at first. But, years later, Virgil was glad Logan invited them. The two new kids were Patton and Roman, and Virgil became just as close with them.

Patton was a bubbly, slightly overprotective, and all-around friendly person, who could make anyone's day better just by getting them to open up a little and by baking and feeding them his specialty red velvet cookies. He became a sort of father figure to Virgil, even though they were the same age. He was constantly making sure Virgil was eating enough, drinking water, and sleeping properly. Virgil insisted he was fine, but Patton countered that the dark circles under his eyes that showed when he forgot to apply his makeup said otherwise. Eventually though, Virgil just accepted that it was in Patton's nature, and though he'd never admit it to anyone, he truthfully appreciated the concern.

His relationship with Roman; however, was a little different. It had taken Virgil almost a year longer than with Patton to learn to trust Roman. Roman appeared to match every 'popular jerk' stereotype imaginable, which of course set off hundreds of warning bells in Virgil's brain. Patton had noticed that the two had seemed distanced and had become determined to get the two to trust each other. Despite Patton's efforts, it was Logan who convinced the two to allow themselves to grow closer. He'd scheduled a day for the four of them to go to the annual carnival during the summer, and then arranged for him and Patton to conveniently 'forget' about the entirety of the planned day, forcing Virgil and Roman to spend the day together, as neither of them wanted to waste the previously purchased tickets. Although a risky maneuver, it had worked. After about thirty minutes of doing nothing but standing around awkwardly, they'd come to the conclusion that Logan and Patton weren't coming, and despite stubborn efforts on both of their ends, actually had had a fun day together, and had continued to grow closer since then.

In the four short months of working at the theatre, with Roman obviously playing the lead, or at least a large role in the shows; Patton playing all sorts of roles, or just being there for moral support; and Logan who either played roles with more talking than acting (he had an excellent memory and knew and could pronounce correctly nearly every word in the dictionary), or he worked with the special effects, having an eye for how he could make the audience really feel like they were in the fictional worlds throughout the show, the four of them had already found their place and become a part of the theatrical community in their small town.

Unfortunately for Virgil; however, the director had brought some controversial news to the team the day after their latest show. The director was the same age as most of the team, but was kind of like a parent to their theatre family. They called him Critic, because of how much of a perfectionist he was. Every line, every movement had to be perfect. It was rumoured that he'd once had a breakdown because a single lightbulb was dimmer than the rest. But, although he had unreasonable standards and acted unforgiving on the outside, there was a soft side to him and every new addition to the team soon learned that he was a bit more lenient than he let on, he just takes some warming up to.

"Alright listen up, ducklings. We've got a problem." The team had been celebrating and planning a fun day to unwind after finally putting together the final production of one of their most complicated shows yet, when Critic had appeared out of nowhere, sounding annoyed.

The team exchanged anxious glances when Emile Picani, one of the actors spoke up, "What's wrong, Critic? Did the show not sell out? I thought the audience seemed pretty full."

"What? No. It has nothing to do with this show." After a wave of confusion passed over everyone, he added, "It's about the _next_ show." He sat down in a plastic chair before continuing. "I've got everything approved by my higher ups, but I didn't realize just how many parts we'll need. And not just extras, parts with lines."

Everyone began muttering worriedly. Things like, 'Where are we going to get other actors?' and 'What are we going to do?'.

"Don't worry though. I've got a solution. You aren't going to like it, but it's the best I've got. You," he pointed toward where Virgil, Janus, and Remus were standing. "You're going to have to act. Don't bother complaining, 'cause that's what's happening."

It was at this moment, that Virgil threw up in his mouth, Janus paled, and Remus gasped dramatically, as if he was personally offended somehow. In another situation, Virgil would be surprised. He didn't think Remus _could_ be offended.

 _No no no no no..._ Virgil thought, panicking. _I can't be on stage, what if I mess up? I have faulty memory, I only remember certain things, I can't remember lines! And I'm uncoordinated, what if I have to dance or something? I haven't looked at the script, I don't know what to expect. What if-_

His thoughts were interrupted by a steady grip on either of his shoulders. He was suddenly aware of tears streaming down his face, and everyone's eyes on him.

 _Damn it! Now they've all seen me have a breakdown, and they're gonna think I have something wrong with me, they'll_ know _I have something wrong with-_

"Kiddo?" Patton watched Virgil shaking in place, his brow furrowed in concern. He couldn't help but notice that Virgil's grey eyes were clouded, as if he weren't really seeing the world he was looking at, but rather watching a scene in his own mind. He was vaguely aware of Roman shooing away the rest of the team and of Logan who stood beside Patton with his hand on Virgil's other shoulder. "Virge?"

It was Patton's voice that brought Virgil back to reality. He looked up to see both Logan and Patton's faces filled with concern, and immediately felt bad for... he wasn't even sure what. Wasting their time? Energy? Obviously, he wanted them to care about him, but he felt like he didn't deserve it, considering how long it took him to trust them. He forced himself to ignore these thoughts, and tried to give a small smile to Patton.

"I'm okay, Pat."

"You sure?"

"Yeah... " He looked down for a second, then back up again. "Let's just go home."

Patton pulled him into a hug, and whispered, "Everything's gonna be okay, Virge."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the first chapter! I know it's short, and mostly just exposition so far, but don't worry, the story's going somewhere. I'm not planning on making the panic attacks a regular thing, nor will this be a very angsty story. I do plan on writing a little bit of angst to carry the plot, but I want this to be a mostly light-hearted fic. (Also, I don't have a regular posting schedule, but it's nearly summer, so hopefully I'll be able to write a lot. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, ladies, men, and non-binary friends! Seeya!


	2. Chapter 2 - Practice and Discussion

"Alright, ducklings!" Critic had said the next morning. He'd sent a message into the group chat telling the team to be at the theatre by 8:00 AM sharp. "Here's how this is gonna work. If you haven't read through the script, we're going to be doing an original play about fashion through the ages called _A Trip Through Time_. You will all play a character from each of the time periods. I have already assigned your designated roles. If you have any questions, speak up now."

There were quite a few questions on Virgil's mind, but Janus beat him to his most prominent one, "Hey, Critic? Who will be doing the backstage stuff?"

"Great question! But, one I'm afraid I can't answer yet. Don't worry though, I've got it handled." Janus and Virgil exchanged anxious looks, but neither of them said anything. "Anything else? No? Alright then. I'll be in my office if anyone needs me. Your roles are posted on the bulletin board." And with a flip of his striped scarf, he turned on his heel in the direction of his office.

Roman couldn't believe it. Not the fact that Virgil and the other backstage techies would be performing for once, or the fact that they were doing a show about _fashion_ and _history_ , two of his favorite things. No, he couldn't believe the fact that his role was such a small one! Sure, he opened the play, and his character matched very closely to his natural behaviour, but other than that he only had like, two lines! This would not do. He would talk to Critic and ask for an explanation at the very least. Heck, after re-reading the script, he realized even _Virgil_ had a larger part than him! And he didn't even want to do this! Actually, he realized all of the techies had big roles. That was odd. Wouldn't Critic want to give them small roles so they don't come out of this hating his guts? Add that to the list of things to ask him.

Roman was suddenly ripped from his thoughts when the jarring sound of the doorbell rang out through his empty house. He got up from the fluffy white couch in his living room and walked over to the front door. He threw it open to one grinning face, one neutral face, and one slightly disturbed face.

"Hey guys! It's been a while since we hung out like this, huh?" He said, stepping backward and bowing dramatically (hand flourish and all) as if presenting his household. They kicked off their shoes and the four of them migrated to the living room. "Can I offer you three anything as a snack? Besides myself that is."

"Are you serious, Ro?" Virgil asked, his worried expression shifting rather quickly to one of annoyance.

"Hey, I'm just making sure you're all aware of my incomparable beauty!"

"Perhaps you should re-educate yourself of the definition of the word 'incomparable', Roman." Logan said, with a slow smirk growing on his face.

"Ooh! Can we get an 'F' in the chat for Sir Sing-A-Lot here?" Virgil snickered. Meanwhile, Patton and Logan just looked confused.

"'F' in the... chat? We are chatting, are we not? I have no idea what use a single 'F' would be in our small discussion." Logan said, cocking an eyebrow at Virgil.

"Now, kiddo. I have no idea what that means, but it was probably rude. I don't want my kiddos fighting, okay?" Patton said, employing the use of his Stern Dad Glare™.

"Aww, but Logan got to roast him!"

Patton looked a little flustered at this. "Well um, because-"

Roman stepped in, to Patton's delight. "Excuse me, but you are fighting over the semantics of _bullying me_!"

"Come on, you know we don't mean it." Virgil said, more sincerely this time.

Without waiting for Roman to respond, Logan commented, "Yes, but we should get to what we came here for."

"Ah, yes! Discussing our roles and practicing our lines!" Roman said, his mood seeming to have lifted once again. "Here, I've got a copy of the list." He procured a list with several names and dates on it.

**Major Roles -**

**Thomas Sanders ~ Present Time ~ Jason Anderson (Lead)**

**Virgil Grey ~ Victorian Era -- 1830 - 1900 ~ Emma Taylor**

**Logan Crofter ~ Victorian Era -- 1830 - 1900 ~ Detective Johnathan Taylor**

**Patton Lily ~ Ancient Greece -- 800 B.C ~ Karan Angelos**

**Roman Aldrich ~ Medieval Times -- 476 AD - 1453 ~ Prince William Arkwright**

**Janus Nathair ~ Great Depression -- 1920 - 30 ~ Edward Matthews**

**Remus Aldrich ~ 1700's (Pirate Times) ~ Captain Richard Davis**

"Wait," Virgil started. "How come _both_ Logan and I are in the Victorian Era?"

"Did you even read the script?" Roman asked accusingly.

"Well, no... " Virgil looked away. "Not yet."

"I strongly recommend that you do so, Virgil. It will prove to be quite beneficial, especially if you're feeling anxious about performing." Logan interjected.

"No really." Virgil rolled his eyes. "Besides, I was _going_ to. I just haven't gotten around to it yet."

The conversation derailed even more from the original offer of snacks (They never did get their snacks) and eventually the group migrated to the basement where there was more room. After doing a quick glance through the script, they began to practice their lines.

"Fear not, milady!" Roman shouted. "For I will slay- wait what is it?"

"It says "I'll save you.", Roman." Logan said, impatiently.

"Oh. Well that's easy then." He tapped his head as if that would help him remember.

Meanwhile, Virgil sat off to the side, reading through all of his lines again before they came to his part. He knew it shouldn't matter, but he didn't want to mess up in front of his friends, even if they were only practicing.

"You ready, kiddo?" Patton asked. "We're almost to where you come in. Remember, it doesn't have to be perfect on the first try."

Virgil looked up. "Uh, yeah. I think so."

"I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" The worries in Virgil's mind were replaced with confusion.

"For sticking through with this. I know how nervous you get about being on stage, but I wanted to make sure that you knew how much I appreciate it. It would crush Roman if you dropped out, and this is really important to him. I'm glad you're giving it a chance. Even if that isn't why."

Virgil thought about that for a moment. He hadn't even considered quitting, but he certainly hadn't thought Roman would care all that much if he did. Sure, Roman had begged them all to join, but he'd figured that was just so he didn't have to audition alone. He and Roman got along (for the most part) but he'd never really felt as close with Roman as with Patton and Logan. He knew he could tell Logan and Patton anything, but he was never as sure with Roman. Knowing Roman cared enough to be that upset at the prospect of him leaving the team made him see his friend a little differently.

"Yeah, well." Virgil started. "I guess the theatre's growing on me." He offered a small smile, which Patton returned with a grin filled with sunshine.

"Virgil! We need Emma!" Roman shouted from across the room.

Virgil got up from the floor and walked over to the centre of the room. Clutching his script in shaking hands, he delivered his first line. "Johnathan! What foolery is happening in here?"

"That's great, Virge. But can you make it sound more angry? You just woke up to a loud crash downstairs." Roman explained.

"Uh, yeah. I guess so."

"I'm terribly sorry, dear sister. It appears we have intruders." Logan as his character.

"I see. Would you like me to dispose of them?"

"I don't think that will be necessary. They seem to be willing to make us an offer."

"An offer?"

"Oh, that's fine. Talk about us like we're not here." Roman said in character.

There was an awkward pause until Patton spoke up, "Do you want me to say Thomas's lines?"

"Yes. Let's do that." Roman answered as himself.

After about three hours of practicing and running through the script, Roman pointed out that they never did end up eating anything and invited the other three to stay for dinner.

"Y'know Virgil, you aren't actually too bad at acting." Roman said while pouring a glass of water for himself. "You respond really well to criticism, too."

"Wait, really?" Virgil looked up from his plate. "I just sort of read the lines off the sheet."

"Yes," Logan added. "The interactions between our characters feel almost natural, as though we had already rehearsed before."

Virgil couldn't help but feel a little pride at that. Despite opposing the idea of being on stage, his friends' encouragement did make him feel a little better.

Suddenly, the front door flew open. "Oh, um. Hey, people who don't live here." Said a breathless Remus. Roman was so different from Remus that most people often forgot they were twins.

"Salutations, Remus. It's a pleasure to see you." Logan said, giving a slight nod.

"Mind if I join you?" Remus asked.

"Just don't be weird, and sure." Roman said with a sigh.

"Oh, you know I can't do that." The other twin replied with a wink. Roman groaned.

The twins had a complicated relationship, to say the least. They cared about each other, but were a part of very different social circles and as a result had grown up rather distant from each other. After years of hardly anything more than the occasional nod acknowledging each others' existence, the two were finally making an effort to have a decent relationship. Unfortunately, that didn't eliminate all the awkward interactions between them.

"So, what were you guys doing all this time?" Remus gave Roman a look of unnecessary suspicion.

"We were just practicing our lines for the upcoming show!" Patton chirped. "And don't worry, we're staying _in line_!"

"Patton, I do believe that was your worst pun yet." Logan said with considerable annoyance.

"Now Logan, no need to _act_ all upset!"

"I stand corrected."

"Are you two done flirting?" Virgil interrupted.

"We are not _flirting_ , Virgil. We are merely having a discussion about something that-"

"I don't know, Lo." Roman cut in. "Seemed a lot like flirting to me."

"I do not _flirt_!"

Virgil walked home alone, enjoying the chilled summer night. As he passed under a streetlight, he thought about what Roman and Logan had said. Did they really think he was a good actor? Not like it mattered. This performance would be the last time he would _ever_ be on stage. No way was he submitting himself to his awful stage fright more than once. Although, he supposed it was a little fun playing a character. Maybe it would grow on him.

The next day, Roman went straight to Critic's office bright and early in the morning. Throwing open the door, he marched up to his desk and- "Hey, uh, Critic? I wanted to ask you something. If you aren't too busy."

"Yeah, sure, duckling. What is it?" He turned around in his swivel chair and set down the notebook he had apparently been writing in. He pushed the frames of his round sunglasses up further on his face.

"Um, well," Roman began. "I was wondering why you gave the backstage workers such large roles. Instead of, well..."

"You?" Critic finished.

"Uh..." Roman looked around sheepishly. "Yeah? Don't get me wrong, I understand if you want to give them their chance to shine, it's just, none of them _wanted_ to be on stage! So why give them such big roles?"

"Well first of all, I chose the roles for each of you individually so you all would feel comfortable with the character you're playing, and secondly, you're precisely right." After being met with a look of confusion from Roman, he continued, "This will probably be the only time our three tech managers will be on stage, so I want to make it the best experience possible for them. Make sense?"

Roman thought for a minute before responding. "I guess so." He turned to leave the office when Critic spoke again.

"Oh, and Roman?" He started.

"Hm?"

"Maybe don't mention this conversation to the techies? I'm going for subtlety, here."

Roman nodded and left the office. Although he was still bummed about not even getting an audition for a larger role, he couldn't help but agree with Critic about wanting to make the backstage crew feel comfortable on the stage. Maybe it would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, would you look at that! Dialogue! Who'd of thought that I was actually capable of writing it? Certainly not me. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll tell you, it took me forever to think of all the names for both the characters, and also the last names for the sides, so I do hope it was worth it. Anyway, as always, feel free to point out any grammatical or spelling errors. Thanks for reading ladies, men, and non-binary friends! Seeya!


	3. Chapter 3 - The Thoughts of the Knowledgeable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I suck at writing dialogue, so I apologize in advance...

Logan had never seen himself as much of an actor. Sure, he could memorize hundreds of complex lines like nobody's business, and he was usually given the 'nerd role', which made it considerably less difficult to get into character, but he never considered himself an _actor_. Not like Roman, or even Patton. Acting was one thing, saying the lines was another. He dreaded the day when Critic chose a show where he'd be required to dance, or move around a considerable amount. Not that he couldn't dance, he was actually rather adept. Or, he used to be.

Besides the fear of a future dancing role, he was actually excited for his new role in the show Critic had chosen for them. He was to play a knowledgeable detective in Victorian England by the name of Johnathan Taylor. Logan had always loved mystery stories, his favourite being "The Murder or Roger Ackroyd" by Agatha Christie, and had fantasized about growing up to be a detective when he was younger. His favourite part of reading mysteries was trying to solve the mystery before the book revealed the answer. So, naturally this role felt familiar to him. During the first few weeks of running through the script with his friends, he'd developed a personal attachment to his character. Relating in almost all aspects, as if the role was designed specifically for him. Johnathan, like Logan, was intellectually driven. He thought with his head and not with his heart, struggled to understand his feelings, and in turn denied them. Johnathan, by odd coincidence, even had a-

"Logan? You still with us? Hello? Ground Control to Major Logan?"

"Yes, Roman? Do you require my assistance?" Logan snapped out of his thought spiral.

"Well, I was wondering if you were going to actually eat that, or if you just plan on staring at it.

Logan had nearly forgotten they were at a diner. He glanced at the sandwich he had been holding. While his eyes had glazed over, the sandwich had begun to droop.

"No, that's quite alright. You may have it if you wish." He said, handing the sandwich over to Roman.

"So..." Virgil began. "Whatcha thinkin' about, Lo?" He raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"I was thinking about my character. I'm rather fond of the similarities between the two of us. It creates a much more comfortable experience."

"Oh. So nothing interesting then." Virgil re-assumed his bored expression.

"Well, if you don't value my thoughts even after asking specifically about them, I suppose."

"Oh, Logan. I'm sure he didn't mean anything bad by it. You just looked so concentrated, like how you are when you get really into your murder mysteries." Patton said, sensing a dispute like a farmer senses a storm. "Besides, I don't want any fighting, or I will turn this car around."

"We are not in a car, Patton."

"Pat, you're the dad, not a suburban mom." Virgil said, aiding Logan's confusion.

"You're right, kiddo." Patton started, with a grin growing across his face. "Looks like I just got _steered_ in the wrong direction."

The sounds of Logan smashing his head into the table could be heard.

"Careful, Lo. You'll break your glasses." Virgil snickered.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be _pine_." Patton giggled, gesturing to the wooden table. "But do actually be careful, though."

"Aw, Padre, I think you br-oak him- ah, I can't do puns." Roman tried.

Logan paused in his descent into insanity. "Roman, a good pun is one thing, but a bad pun is an intolerable figurative nightmare."

"Aw, Logan, does that mean you like my puns?" Patton asked sweetly.

"No, it does not."

Upon returning to Roman's house after the visit to the restaurant, he proclaimed that due to the late-ness, the other three would be better off staying the night at his house.

"Yay, sleepover!" Patton shouted, brimming with joy.

"I suppose that would be wise, if you so insist." Logan said, reminded of the fun sleepovers the four of them had had in the past. Though he wouldn't admit it, he secretly really enjoyed the chaotic times with his friends.

"Uh, I'm not sure." Virgil said with an air of uncertainty. He'd never really liked the concept of sleepovers. Too many things could go wrong. "It's not so bad in the dark-"

When had it begun raining?

With a glance at Roman, Virgil sighed. " _Fiiiiiine._ " He drawled out. It was almost cartoonish how Virgil kept winding up in these situations.

"It's kinda weird that we never got to audition, don't you think?" Emile Picani asked.

Remy looked up from his phone. "What do you mean? I thought Critic already gave us the parts or whatever."

"Exactly. Every other show, he gives the option to audition. That's how community theatre works. So why not this time?"

"I don't know, hun. You're the smart one."

"What? Logan's the smart one." Emile shot a confused glance toward his friend.

"Who's Logan? Do I know them?"

"Uh, he's a friend of a friend. You remember Patton?"

"That guy who moved here a few years ago who's like, all nice or whatevs?"

"Uh, sure."

Remy took a sip of his iced coffee before saying, "You're pretty smart too, y'know."

"Oh. Thanks." Emile said, fixing his magenta coloured hair. "But anyway. I just think it's weird that he didn't hold any auditions is all."

"You sound upset about that. Why?" Remy asked, lowering his aviator sunglasses. "Isn't your character from the 1980's, when there were a ton of cartoons? I thought you loved cartoons."

"I do love cartoons! I'm not upset, I'm trying to understand the reasoning behind it."

"Well, you're learning psychic stuff right? Shouldn't that help you with it?"

Emile pushed up his glasses. "It's psychology, Remy. And not necessarily. I want to be a therapist, which means talking to people, not mind reading."

"Well, then why don't you talk to him about it, silly?"

"Remy, you're a genius! Why didn't I think of that?" Emile shouted with far too much facial expression for a normal person.

"I know, I'm fabulous."

"I'll ask him about it tomorrow, there's gotta be a reason."

"You do that, gurl. Make him spill that tea."

"What?"

"Logan, I'm not saying you _have_ to wear a onesie," Roman began. "But yes, you absolutely do."

"According to who exactly?" Logan retorted.

"Um. Our Founding Fathers."

"Come on, Lo. I know you have one." Patton pleaded. "Besides, even Virgil's wearing one." He gestured to Virgil's skeleton onesie.

"If I say yes, will you figuratively drop the subject?"

"No promises!" Patton winked and grinned.

Logan found himself unable to resist the power of Patton's overall sunniness. "Fine, but you owe me a week without puns."

"I can try, but you know how B-A-D your D-A-D is at that!"

"D-A... Patton you are not my father."

Roman stepped in between them. " _Anyway_ , who wants to play Truth or Dare?"

"Absolutely not." Virgil said at the same time that Logan said,

"Really, Roman? A child's game?"

"You know that never ends well, Princey." Virgil added.

"Well, fine then." Roman huffed. "Let's just watch a movie."

"We do that everytime." Patton sighed.

"No, we don't." Logan argued.

"Well, then what do you suggest we do, Microsoft Nerd?"

"We could hold another Crofter's jam eating contest."

"First of all, I'm out of Crofter's and second of all, no because you always win."

"That's because-"

"How about we play a game?" Virgil suggested.

"I _said_ that!" Roman rolled his eyes.

"Not Truth or Dare. Like, I don't know, Mario Kart or something."

"Yeah! That's a great idea, Virge!" Patton said enthusiastically.

"Sure, but we're playing Double Dash. It's the best one!" Roman declared.

"How? The current newest installment, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch is the best one. It has the best graphics and the best controls so far." Logan stated matter-of-factly.

"It's about the nostalgia, Lo." Patton explained.

"Something I will never understand." Logan said, showing disgust at the concept of emotion. 

After a few rounds (Logan playing as Mario and Luigi, Roman playing as Princess Daisy and Princess Peach, Patton playing as Toad and Koopa Paratroopa, and Virgil playing as King Boo and Waluigi), the four of them grew bored and began casually conversing. As Roman and Virgil argued over who the best Mario Kart character was, Logan shifted from an uncomfortable position for what felt like the hundredth time. Normally he wasn't bothered by such things, as he was used to sitting straight-backed for long periods of time to improve his posture, but sitting on the floor with nothing but a few blankets was exceptionally uncomfortable for reasons he couldn't- well. That wasn't entirely true. He could explain it. Unfortunately, he'd realized a while ago, that he'd just have to deal with it. Maybe, after a time, it wouldn't be so bad. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, what is Logan's secret? You'll have to stay tuned to find out! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, feel free to point out and grammatical or spelling errors. I'll catch you later ladies, men, and non-binary friends. Seeya!


	4. Chapter 4 - Recollection and Realization

Patton Lily was not someone who let things go unnoticed. And he certainly wasn't someone who forgot the things he noticed. Maybe he wasn't the best at memorizing large words and sources like Logan, or long, dramatic poems like Roman. But he could remember that Logan had a slower, more cautious walking pace and made sure to always wait for him. He could remember how much the theatre meant to Roman and always made a point to do whatever he could to make sure Roman was prepared for each show. He could remember how Virgil had looked while his best friend had invited Patton and Roman to sit with them at lunch all those years ago.

He remembered the fear in Virgil's eyes and had made a mental note to let Virgil warm up to him. He remembered the pain in Logan's eyes whenever he made too sudden of a movement and made a mental note to make sure that Logan was included and comfortable in every situation. He remembered the loneliness in Roman's eyes the year when he'd officially stopped talking to Remus, and offered to help mend their sibling relationship.

Logan always told him _what_ you remembered was what was important, whereas Roman had told him it didn't matter what you remembered, but what you did with those memories was what counted. Patton believed that both were important in their own ways. It was important to remember the little things, but remembering didn't mean anything unless one chose to act upon that memory. Remembering someone's birthday means nothing to them if you don't acknowledge it. They'd just assume you'd forgotten.

So Patton made sure his friends -his family- knew he remembered. He made sure by comforting Virgil when he felt stressed about performing on stage. He made sure by assuring Roman that rebuilding relationships takes time. He made sure by letting Logan know that some things in life were just obstacles that one had to take a little bit more time to move past.

But, Patton could forget some things. He forgot what it was like to be lonely. He forgot what it was like to be ignored. And maybe, that was for the best. Or maybe it wasn't. Patton didn't like to talk about what was bothering him. _Make sure to always put others first_. His mother would often tell him. _Someone is always having a worse day than you._ And Patton listened. He listened, and even after years of everyone telling him differently, when the time came he still listened to those voices. The voices encased in darkness in the back of his mind who came out to play only when it mattered. _Nothing's wrong. I'm fine. How can I help you?_ The words he'd been trained to say. The words that caused so much conflict in his heart. Conflicts, like internal battles that left all his mental soldiers bedridden for weeks. He never wanted to be incapable of taking care of himself, but he much less wanted to be selfish. But Patton always noticed things about his friends that compelled him to devote his time to them. How could he not? It was in his nature to care for his family. So, among all the things that Patton remembered, he forgot himself.

But he didn't let that bother him. He kept a smile on his face. He kept cracking jokes that infuriated Logan, he kept smiling for Virgil, and he kept supporting Roman. Because his family was more important to him. He knew he had to keep that smile on his face, even if it hurt.

_But,_ He'd think, ever the optimist. _That just makes the real smiles feel even better!_ He knew though, deep inside, that wasn't entirely true.

So, late that night, the day of the four friends' sleepover, he made a decision. As he lay awake, thinking, he grew tired of the voices that lectured him on the dangers of selfishness. He made a choice to ignore those voices- no. Not ignore, but regard with caution. Of course it wasn't okay to hurt others, but maybe selflessness wasn't always the answer. And so, he made a decision, a choice. He decided he was going to ask for guidance, someone to confide in. Someone to talk to. He didn't expect anyone to solve his problems, but opening up might help.

"Patton? Are you alright?" Patton hadn't noticed he'd sat up, and was pulled from his thoughts by Logan.

"Oh. H-hi, Logan." He replied shakily. He hadn't realized Logan was still awake. He squinted at the flashing alarm clock across the room and attempted to read the red letters. 2:56 AM. "Logan, why are you up? Is something wrong?"

"Do not worry yourself, Patton. I've merely woken to retrieve a glass of water." Logan shook his head. "Why are you awake at this hour? Is something troubling you?"

Patton fought his instincts as he answered, "No, I'm fi-" _I'm fine, how can I help you?_ The voices echoed in his mind, but he pushed them back. "Actually Lo, would you mind talking to me a little? I've been feeling... Not so good lately." It felt strange, saying that. Unfamiliar, like borrowing a pair of gloves after forgetting one's own.

"Of course, Patton. Why don't you come sit next to me and you can tell me what's bothering you." He patted a spot next to him on Roman's couch.

Patton made his way over and took a seat next to Logan. He sighed, wondering how he was going to explain. He took a deep breath and started from the beginning.

"My parents..." He began. "Are good people. They mean well, right? So then, why do I hear every other time that all they've told me is wrong?"

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand. What exactly did they tell you?" Logan questioned.

"Well, maybe I can start by asking something." Patton placed his hand down onto the couch to steady himself. "Imagine your closest friend asked you to attend an event that was really important to them. You agree to go, but realize you're falling behind in school or something. What do you do? Do you take that time to study or do you go to the event for your friend?"

"Patton, that wouldn't happen. You know how highly I value education. I would never allow myself to fall behind."

"Okay, well just pretend it does."

"Well, in that scenario, it is more important that my studies are prioritized over an event that matters very little to me." Logan answered. "I am confused, what does this have to do with anything? School is not in session, as it is June."

"Just let me explain, I'll get there. See, my parents would have believed the opposite. They told me that I should always put others first, even if it hurts me, because it's the right thing to do." Patton shifted nervously. He hated making his parents seem like the bad guys. They were only trying to do the best they could.

Logan peered down at Patton curiously, trying to make sense of his predicament. "Patton, I'm sure you know, but I'm usually not an expert in 'rights' and 'wrongs'. I will always choose to do the most logical thing. If you're faced with a difficult situation, I can offer you my insight on which choice makes the most reasonable sense."

"No, it's not a specific problem. I'm just confused, because in a situation like that, I don't know what to do." Patton looked up. "I don't want to hurt my friend, but I already promised I would go. They might think I'm just blowing them off because I didn't want to go."

That was it. Something clicked in Logan's brain. "Ah, I understand your dilemma, now." He started. "You see, Patton. Your parents were half right. What they missed, is that the outcome of whatever choice you make is dependent on your actions in the past. In your scenario, _my_ friend might be upset with _me_ , because I myself am not one for social gatherings or events and I'm not exactly friendly. You; however, are a very caring person who likely would try your best to make it up to them. It is much more likely for your friend to forgive you, than me in this situation. Does that make sense?"

"I... never thought about it that way." Patton said slowly as he soaked in Logan's words. "I guess so. So then, what should I do?"

"Patton, if you are feeling unwell, or overwhelmed, you need to take time to focus on yourself. The three of us will be fine. I promise." Logan said with complete sincerity.

Patton waited a moment, but then nodded. "Maybe you're right."

"I am right Patton. I am always right." Logan replied proudly.

Patton snickered. "You're not always right..." He muttered underneath his breath.

"What? What are you talking about?"

" _Infinitesimal?"_

"That was _one_ time!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyy so, remember what I said about not writing angst? Yeah you can figuratively throw that out the window. And then you can literally throw it out the window because that's how wrong I was. I apologize now, in case it gets worse. I'm sorry this was such a short chapter. I was writing like normal and for some reason, I looked at the screen and it had gotten all sad, and I suck at bouncing back from that. Next chapter will be more light-hearted hopefully. As always, don't hesitate to inform me of any grammatical or spelling errors, and I'll see you next chapter, ladies, men, and non-binary friends! Seeya!


	5. Chapter 5 - A Sense of Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm done with the indents. No longer will I waste away, typing five spaces before every paragraph. No more. But anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Janus Nathair loved the garden. He loved the way the orchid vines wrapped around the oak trees, he loved the way the sun shone through the leaves and created light patterns on the rocks. He loved the way the cool pond water splashed and left millions of tiny water droplets on the petals of nearby flowers, but most of all, he loved all the creatures that lived in the garden. Since he was young, he’d always loved the small turtles that came to bask in the sunlight, and the colourful birds that chirped playfully, and the small garter snakes that hid in the bushes. Oh, how he loved the snakes, while some of his friends found them creepy, he’d always found them to be interesting little things.

So, as he walked through the garden, examining the moss that grew in the shade of the trees, he watched carefully and waited for the small serpents to come out from under the rocks. He found a patch of grass under a tree and sat down slowly. For a moment, he simply sat under the tree, fidgeting with a blade of grass, enjoying the calm of the garden. He closed his eyes, listening to the faint trickle of water from the pond as it flowed through the stream. He could feel the warm sun on his face, and the slight breeze in his hair. He felt content like this, never wanting to move. That is, until he heard the sounds of one of the garter snakes creeping out from under a rock. He opened his eyes to see his favourite of the snakes, William Snakespeare (He says it is an excellent name and the reader is not allowed to judge him.) inching toward him. He reached out and gently picked him up, raising him to drape over his shoulder.

“Hey, Will.” He whispered. “It’s nice today, isn’t it?” The snake hissed in response as if he’d understood. At times, Janus was almost convinced the snakes _could_ understand. He liked to talk to them as if holding a conversation, making small talk as if it were perfectly normal for one to chat with a reptile. “Guess what happened the other day.”

The snake gave a slight nod as if to say, _Go on._

“Critic -you remember Critic, right?- told us techies that we have to play large roles in this new production.” He reached up to brush his blonde hair out of his eyes. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m actually a little excited. I’ll admit, I was nervous at first, but it actually doesn’t sound so bad, now. Who knows, it might be fun?”

“What might be fun?” Janus jumped at the voice, causing his snake friend to slither back under the rocks. The peace of the garden was considerably minimized.

“Remus!” He turned his head to see his friend a few steps away on the path stones. “I told you not to- How did you even get in here?”

“Francis let me in.” Remus shrugged, walking toward Janus.

“Of course he did.” Janus sighed, patting the ground next to him. “Here, sit.” Remus sat down rather ungracefully. “Why are you here, Remus?”

“Aw, c’mon Jay-Jay, can’t a guy visit his best friend before you move next summer?”

“Remus, last time you were here, you killed a bird.”

“Sounds like me.”

“Well, what did you even plan on doing here?” Janus asked, leaning back against the tree.

“I dunno.” Remus shrugged. “I figured we could just hang out like we used to, or maybe practice our lines since we have to be in the play now.”

“I suppose so. By the way, how do you feel about the whole situation?”

“The acting? I guess I don’t really care. It was a little shocking at first, but it’s not like I’m nervous or anything.” This was certainly true. Remus lacked more shame than anyone Janus knew. “What about you?”

Janus thought for a minute before answering. “I’m not really sure. I’ve always loved being on set, but I’m a little apprehensive about performing, I guess. I think it could be fun though.”

Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted when Janus’s butler, Francis (who was really more like a parent to him) pushed open the gate the rest of the way (Remus had forgotten to close it) and stepped through.

“Your tea, sir.” He handed a small teacup and saucer filled with a burnt orange-ish coloured liquid. He turned to Remus. “And your… pickle juice, sir.” He made a face of disgust but gave the other teacup.

“Thanks, Francis.” Janus said, before turning once more to Remus. “Did you ask for tea for me?”

“Maybe.” Remus sipped his pickle juice.

Janus also sipped his tea, silently appreciating that it was lemon tea, his personal favourite. “Ah. Well, that’s none of my business.”

That got a laugh out of Remus. And Francis, for some reason.

“Good job J, you’re learning.” After realizing that Janus didn’t understand any of the references they were making and would just have to convey their points with their own original thoughts and feelings, Remus and Virgil had taken it upon themselves to educate Janus in the ways of the internet.

“I try.” Janus smirked.

Meanwhile, at the theatre, Critic sat alone at his desk, hands folded over in his lap. He had a strange sense that someone was going to come walking through the door at any minute. He spun his chair so it faced the window on the wall opposite the door. For a moment, he sat completely still, watching a bird hop about the green below. His office was on the second story, so he had a nice view of the grass and tree behind the theatre.

Not so suddenly, the door burst open from behind him. Ah, there it was. He swiveled around in his chair to see-

“Hey girl, hey!”

“Remy? What are you doing here?” He certainly didn’t expect to see Remy of all people.

“Just being my flawless self, babes.” He took a long drink of his iced latte. “Also, Emile wanted to ask you a thing.”

Critic looked past him to see Emile also in the doorway.

“Oh, duckling, if you’re going to ask about switching roles, I can’t do that.” He flipped his scarf casually.

“No, no it’s not that.” Emile stepped forward. “I was wondering why you didn’t hold an audition like you normally do.”

Critic froze. He wasn’t sure how to answer that. Of course, there was a reason for his decision, but he wasn’t sure it was a good idea to say that.

“Well… It’s because I gave you each specific roles you would hopefully feel comfortable in. In a way, by not holding an audition, I was able to ensure you would end up with a role you were happy with. And are you?” There, not a lie, but not necessarily the _whole_ truth.

“Uh, yeah I love my part. And I guess that makes sense, but how did you know? That we would like our roles, that is?” He lifted his head curiously.

Critic merely winked and swiveled back around in his chair while answering, “You’re all my ducklings, Picani. I have my ways.” He leaned forward toward the window and smirked into his tightly clasped hands.

“Girl, that was like seriously extra and mysterious.”

“Um. Yes, but thanks anyway, Critic.” The two of them left the room, possibly even more confused. Well, not Remy. He was more concerned with the fact that he was out of coffee.

After the two left, Critic was once again left alone with his thoughts. However, these thoughts were soon joined by a sense of unease. He knew what he was doing was a risky move, and there was a good chance it wouldn’t even be worth it, but it was too late to go back now.

He sat there for quite a while, thinking. The sky had begun to grow pink before he got up from his chair, locked the door to his office, and left the theatre. As he walked alone under the slowly sinking sun, he continued to ponder. He was vaguely aware of shouting in the distance.

 _Probably just some kids._ He thought, absentmindedly. _What are they ev-_

“-what foolery is happening in here?” Wait a minute. Why did that sound familiar? Critic stopped. He averted his attention entirely to the shouting he’d heard. Looking in the direction of the sound, he noticed a small group of people who looked to be only slightly younger than him.

 _Wait… I know those people…_ He thought with a jolt. It was his team. Well, some of them. Thomas, Roman, Logan, Patton, and even Virgil. They appeared to be practicing their lines together in the park. Critic hadn’t even noticed he was near a park. He sat down at a nearby park bench, close enough so that he could see them, but no one seemed to notice him. He folded his hands in his lap and simply studied the actors. He noticed the determination in Roman’s eyes as he delivered his lines. A fiery passion that burned away doubt and craved perfection. But most prominently, he noticed Virgil. The shy, emo techie who almost never said anything unless it was absolutely necessary. The one who Critic was most worried about putting on stage. But as he watched him, he noticed how comfortably he seemed to slip into character, and how naturally the lines seemed to come to him. He noticed the slightest bit of a smirk while he and Roman recited the scripted banter. Something about the sight of the group warmed his heart. Maybe, he didn’t have anything to worry about after all.

The sunset was quite a beautiful thing, if one only stopped to enjoy it. A multitude of contrasting, yet beautiful colours swirled together like a watercolour painting. The blinding light from the sun shone into the oranges, which faded into the pinks, which then spilled over into the blue mass that was the sky, where white stars were scattered into a wonderful chaos.

It was the things like sunsets that Remus found beauty in. A seemingly random array of colours that could create a masterpiece. A sporadic nightmare of hues twisted together into a work of art. These were the kinds of things that Remus found beautiful.

So, as he sat next to Janus on the sofa, watching the sunset, he couldn’t help but admire the alluring madness. He glanced over to see Janus staring blankly at the sunset. His eyes were glazed over as if he were in deep thought. His soft blonde hair had fallen into his face and he hadn’t bothered to fix it.

“J? Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

Janus snapped out of his daze and looked up. “What? Oh. Just… Just the theatre.” He answered, but immediately fell back into his trance-like state.

“You seem _really_ concentrated on the theatre.” Remus tilted his head in curiosity. “Are you sure there isn’t something bugging you?”

Janus looked up for real this time. “No, no…” His face coloured a bit. “Okay fine. I was actually just thinking about snakes… They don’t have any arms! It’s not fair!”

Remus blinked. Then, a slow grin spread across his face. “You’re adorable, you know that?”

If Janus’s face was pink before that, it was crimson now. “...I’m not adorable.” He said, crossing his arms in a most adorable way.

“Sure, Jan.” Remus winked.

Janus buried his face in his hands and muttered, “Why are you like this?”

“I just am. But would you have me any other way?”

“...no.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While shorter than I would have liked, (considering it took me like, three weeks to finish) this might be my favourite chapter so far. Enjoy the fluff. As always, feel free to point out any grammatical or spelling errors, and I'll see you next chapter, ladies, men, and non-binary friends! Seeya!


	6. Chapter 6 - The Dangers of Staircases

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS - This chapter is a little creepy altogether, but there are some descriptions of particularly freakish dolls, so if you don't like that sort of thing, stop reading at "Isn't this one weird?" and skip to "I never liked these dolls."
> 
> Also, there are general mentions of death a few times throughout the chapter.

"Why, I am Prince William Arkwright! And you are?" Roman dipped into a deep bow and winked.

"Jason. Jason Anderson." Thomas replied solemnly.

"And cut!" Critic shouted from the front row in the audience. "Great first rehearsal everyone!" He rose from his chair and walked to the stage toward Roman and Thomas. "Excellent execution of character, ducklings. Let's see... it's about 6 PM, why don't you come back tomorrow at about 10 AM and we'll start scene two?" Without waiting for any response, he adjusted his glasses and began walking back to his office.

Roman grinned and ran his fingers through his hair. It felt nice to be on the stage again. Even if only after a few days. He gave Thomas a small wave before walking to the corner of the stage to retrieve his drawstring bag. Then, he walked to where his friends sat in the audience chairs. Logan and Patton stood as he approached, but Virgil barely lifted his head before going back to something on his phone.

"Salutations, Roman." Logan nodded as Roman waved.

"Good job, kiddo! You did great!" Patton beamed.

"Thanks, Padre. Do you guys want to hang out today? We can go to the diner again or something." Roman suggested.

"I sincerely apologize, Roman, but I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to. Perhaps another time." Logan adjusted his wire-framed glasses.

Patton looked at the ground. "Me too, kiddo. I'd love to hang out, but I have a few errands to run for my grandmother today. Maybe next time?"

Roman sighed, but looked over to Virgil. "What about you, _Death_ Meyers?"

Virgil looked up from his phone. "What's happening? I wasn't listening."

"Do you want to hang out? Critic dismissed us for the day. Logan and Patton can't come." Roman said.

Virgil thought for a minute. "Uh, sure, I guess so." He shrugged and rose from his chair, pocketing his phone.

The four of them exited the theatre and stepped into the bright sunlight. Logan offered Patton a ride home, which Patton accepted, and the two of them took their leave.

Roman turned to Virgil, "So, what do you want to do?"

"You're asking me?" Virgil pulled at one of the sleeves of his violet shirt.

"No, I'm asking my invisible friend Steve." Roman replied sarcastically.

"Oh. Well I don't know. You invited me."

"Hm. Well I was thinking of maybe going to the diner down on main street?"

"Fine with me." Virgil nodded.

Before Roman could reply however, his phone rang. He reached into his pocket to see... Remus? Calling _him_?Why? He answered and held the phone to his ear.

"Remus? What are you- you never call me."

"Yes exactly. I was wondering if you wanted to... y'know. Hang out or something? We don't ever do anything together."

Roman was confused at best. Remus asking him to do something? That was certainly out of the ordinary.

"Um, I would... But I sort of already made plans with Virgil."

"Oh."

Roman noticed how disappointed he sounded. "If you wanted, we could all do something together a little bit later?"

There was a silence for a few seconds. "Sure. But I'm inviting Janus too, okay?"

"That's fine."

"Okay."

"...Bye then."

"Bye." Remus ended the call.

Roman stared at his phone for a few more seconds before pocketing it and looking back up at Virgil. "Sorry. My brother called me."

"That's okay. What did he have to say?"

"He... wanted to hang out or something."

"And what did you tell him?"

"I said that I already made plans, but we could all do something later. If that's alright with you. You don't have to come. And he invited Janus."

"I see. Sure, I'll come."

"Alright. Shall we then?" Roman gestured down the street and began to walk toward the diner. Virgil followed.

It wasn't a far walk, and it only took about four minutes before the two of them stepped into the cool diner. They walked to a booth near a window and sat down opposite each other.

A young waitress walked up to the end of the table and smiled. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Can I get either of you anything to drink?" She placed two menus onto the table.

"I'll just take a water to start, thanks." Virgil stated simply.

Roman however, did not do _simple_. "Can I get strawberry milkshake, but with extra whipped cream and sprinkles, as well as a syrup drizzle and an extra maraschino cherry?"

The waitress scribbled into her notepad hurriedly before responding. "Sounds good, I'll be back in a few minutes." She smiled again before turning and walking back to the kitchens.

Virgil rolled his eyes. "You're going to die from eating that much sugar, Princey."

"Princey? You called me that the other day, too. Why?"

"Oh. Like, your character. The prince?" Virgil once again began fidgeting with his sleeve.

Roman smiled. "Aw, you gave me a nickname from the play! Should I call you Emma?"

"Please don't."

"Whatever you say, Stormcloud." Roman winked.

The waitress returned and set two very different drinks down onto the wood table.

"Are you two ready to order, or should I come back later?" She asked.

Roman, without even picking up the menu, gave his equally complex order, while Virgil scanned the pages lightly. The waitress eventually left after taking both orders.

Nothing of note happened for the remainder of the hour. The waitress came back with the food, and the two ate in relative silence. By the time they got up to leave, the sun had begun sinking into the horizon.

Roman reached into his pocket for his phone to call Remus. He selected the contact and listened to the dial tones with a sense of guilt.

One ring. Two rings. The call had gone through by now. Three rings. Four-

"Roman?" Thank goodness. Although, Roman wasn't sure what he was thankful for. Had he been afraid of Remus not answering? He put the call on speaker phone.

"Hey, Remus. Virgil's here too. Where did you want us to meet you? Did you have something specific in mind?" Roman asked tentatively.

"Hi, Virgil." Remus said, to which Virgil waved. Which didn't make too much sense, considering they were on the phone. "Well, I'm at Janus's right now. It's the penthouse on the outskirts of town. You can come if you want."

"Okay. We'll be there." Roman ended the call and turned to Virgil. "I didn't know Janus lived in a penthouse. Did you know?"

"Yeah? His parents run some fancy casino or something over in New Lexington. That's why he always wears super nice clothes."

"Oh, I thought he just had good taste."

"Okay. We'll be there." Remus heard his brother say. Then he heard the beep that meant the call had ended. He'd have to say, he was a bit surprised. He hadn't thought Roman would agree to spending time together. Remus hated to admit it, but he missed his brother. They used to get along so well when they were kids, but for most of their lives they were practically strangers. It would be nice to reconnect.

Janus walked back from the kitchen, carrying a tray of pastries. He set it down on the coffee table and took a seat next to Remus on the sofa.

"So what'd he say? Is he able to come?" Janus asked, nodding at the phone Remus was still holding.

"Yeah. He's bringing Virgil though. I hope that's okay."

"Yes, it's fine." Janus answered. "I wonder why he isn't with Logan and Patton. I didn't think Virgil was that close with Roman?"

"Hmm. Yeah, I didn't either. Maybe they're busy with... something else." Remus winked.

"Remus!" Janus laughed. "They probably just couldn't come."

Remus grinned. He loved when he could make Janus laugh. He reached out and took a peach tart from the tray. Then proceeded to eat it upside down. Janus meanwhile, took a lemon tart and ate it right side up. They were eating their tarts when Francis came into the room from downstairs with Roman and Virgil in tow. Roman was studying the beautifully carved banisters while Virgil fiddled with something on his phone.

"Hello Roman, Virgil." Janus said, looking up. "Would you like a tart?" He gestured to the coffee table.

"Oh, uh, sure." Roman said, but Virgil just nodded. They took a seat on the other sofa, and each took a pastry from the tray. "So..." Roman started. "It's nice to formally meet you, Janus. I don't believe we've talked much."

"The same to you." Janus replied.

"So, what do we want to do?" Remus asked.

"Well, it's getting dark, so there isn't really a place to go. We could play a game or something here if you'd like." Janus offered.

"Ooh, we could play Twister - Truth or Dare!" Roman suggested.

"Uh, I think you mean Twister - Truth _and_ Dare." Remus corrected.

"Why would I mean Truth _and_ Dare?"

Virgil looked up. "Roman, what is your obsession with Truth or Dare?"

"Uhm, I can either show off my bravery or get the latest gossip?"

"I shouldn't have asked."

"Fine, let's play Twister - Truth _or_ Dare." Remus said. "Even if it's boring without both..." He muttered the last part under his breath, rolling his eyes jokingly. "I'll go get the board." He stood up and began walking to another room.

Janus stood up also. "I'll come with you." He said, and went to follow Remus.

Virgil and Roman exchanged a look until they both had left the room to which Roman said, "What do you wanna bet they get together by the end of this week?"

The two came back with the Twister board, spinner, and a lot of folded bits of paper. They laid it out on the ground and placed one piece of paper on each circle.

"Can I be the spinner-person? I don't want to answer any truths or do any dares." Virgil asked.

"Oh yeah... I forgot we needed someone to do that." Roman said. "Yeah you can do it, Virge."

Virgil nodded and picked up the spinner. "Roman. You first."

"Wait, why?" Roman asked, confused.

"Because I said so." He spun the spinner. "Left foot red."

Roman moved and stepped on the red circle nearest to him. He unfolded the piece of paper and read, "Truth. Have you ever eaten deodorant?" He scrunched his nose. "Remus, did you write this one?" He asked.

"I wrote _all_ of them." Remus replied with a devilish grin.

Roman sighed. "Well that can't be good."

After a rather humiliating round of Twister (for all except Remus, that is) the four seemed a little more at ease. They took up their positions on the two sofas once again.

"Hmm, what do we do now?" Remus asked.

"Maybe something a little less humiliating this time?" Roman sighed.

Virgil snickered. "I dunno, Princey. It was pretty fun to watch you do the little teapot dance."

Roman buried his face in his hands. "No. I'm never doing that again."

Janus stood suddenly. "Would you guys want a tour of the house? There's some pretty old parts and I think maybe some antiques in the attic."

Roman looked up. "Sure. That sounds fun."

Remus and Virgil also agreed, and Janus led them downstairs to the first floor of the house.

As Janus was showing them the parlor, Remus whispered to his brother, "Hey. Did you know Medusa lives here?"

"Medusa? Like from the Greek myths?" Roman whispered back, narrowly avoiding walking into a vase in the hallway.

"Yeah-"

"What are you whispering about?" Virgil turned around and asked.

"He told me Medusa lives here."

"She does." Janus stopped too. A small smirk playing on his face.

"What? How? Why? Isn't she evil?" Roman was rather confused, to say the least.

Janus chuckled. "It's okay, she's just my mother."

"Your mom's Medusa?" At this point both Remus and Janus were laughing. Virgil chuckled too.

"No, I mean her name is Medusa. Medusa Nathair." Janus's expression suddenly turned dark, though. "Not that there's much difference..." He muttered.

"Oh." Roman said.

After a silence, Virgil coughed. "Welp. Wanna explore the attic?"

Remus cackled. "Yes, lets." He whispered.

Janus nodded and motioned for the other three to follow him. The four walked back up the first flight of stairs, across the room where they had played Twister, and up a second flight of stairs. These ones were different though. For one thing, it was a spiral staircase. For another, the steps were less used, uneven, and dusty. There were even dustier paintings lining the walls. The light grew increasingly dimmer as they continued up the stairs.

 _There sure are a lot of stairs..._ Roman thought. He began counting them. Twenty. Then twenty-five. Then thirty. Then thirty-five. Finally, after the group reached the fiftieth step, Janus came to a halt. They were surrounded in almost complete darkness now. Roman heard a shuffling sound until a yellowish light flickered on. It wasn't a normal light though, it was a gas lamp.

"How old _is_ this part of the house?" Roman asked.

"Old enough to be haunted." Remus grinned, the dim light giving his face an eerie glow.

"It's not haunted." Janus rolled his eyes.

"Are you sure? Did anybody ever die here?" Virgil asked, skeptically.

Janus didn't answer, and continued into the attic. Roman felt a shiver go down his spine. He didn't like the way Janus turned around silently. And he didn't like the rickety floorboards that they walked on. He got the odd sense that he was being watched, but he ignored it and kept walking.

They walked to the far end of the attic, where the light barely touched anymore and stopped. Roman heard a scuttling from behind him.

"I'm not the only one who heard that, right?"

"It was probably just a mouse or something." Virgil said, nonchalantly. "Besides, weren't you talking about how brave you were like, an hour ago?"

"What? I don't know what you're talking about." Roman replied in a panicky voice.

"Uh huh."

"Are you two done flirting?" Remus called from where he and Janus were examining an old chest.

"We are _not_ flirting!" Roman said, before realizing how much of a hypocrite he was.

"Yup. Sure. Anyway, help us lift this lid." Remus replied sarcastically.

Roman and Virgil stepped carefully to where Remus and Janus were attempting to open the chest. Wordlessly, they each took hold of the handles at the end opposite the other two. On a count of three, they all lifted up against the weight of the wooden lid. With herculean effort, they managed to lift it up all the way so that they could prop it open with the lid stay. Virgil pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight. He shone the light inside for the group to see-

"Locks?" Roman exclaimed, surprised. "Why is there a huge chest just filled with locks?" The entire chest was filled to the brim with padlocks which looked very old fashioned and steampunk. They were all closed though, which seemed strange. What person would have keys to all of those locks? They all had different shapes and sizes of keyholes.

The other three looked to Janus for an answer, to which he just shrugged. "My parents keep weird things." He said simply.

Roman backed away from the chest. "Alright, that's enough weird for me." He said. "I'll be downstairs if anyone needs me." He turned and began slowly walking back toward the staircase.

"I'll come with you." Virgil added, also turning away from the chest. "I'm not scared or anything, but I'm not gonna be up here when Satan himself comes to kill us, so..." He trailed off and made to follow Roman.

"Wait, Virge, can we borrow your phone for a flashlight? Mine's dead, and J's is downstairs." Remus asked.

"Uh, yeah. I guess so. Just don't drain the battery completely." Virgil handed over his phone with a look of sincere sorrow to see it go. And with that, Roman and Virgil began the long trek back down the stairs while Janus and Remus moved onto a shelf full of antique dolls.

About halfway down the stairs, they were beginning to see the faint light from the floor below. Keyword: _were_. Roman was on step twenty-nine from the top when the light from downstairs that had been guiding them in the darkness went out. Virgil was on step twenty-five from the top, which was far enough away that not even he could see the light from the top of the stairs anymore.

"... What happened to the light, Roman?"

"I'm... I'm not sure." Roman had been holding the banister before, but he now gripped it until his knuckles turned white. Or at least, he thought so. It was a little hard to see, considering they were surrounded in complete darkness. "Maybe Francis turned the lights off downstairs?" He tried.

"Maybe." Virgil said, but in a way that told he didn't really believe that. "Well should we try to go back up or keep going down?" He asked.

"I'm not going back up there." Roman said seriously.

"Down it is, then."

Virgil had meant to step down onto the next stair. He had meant to ignore the shuffling sounds that he _knew_ were Roman's cautious steps but for some reason terrified him. He had meant to grab the banister as he did both of those things. Unfortunately, we often don't do the things we mean to in the dark. He missed the step first. Then, he missed the banister and failed to catch himself. Then he shrieked, as one does when falling down twenty-five wooden stairs.

Roman gasped as the ear splitting scream rang out. He didn't have time to think, but his instinct was to stretch his arms out. He could see nothing, but something relatively soft hit his arm and threatened to take him down with it. Or rather, his arm hit the something.

It was as he was redistributing his weight so as to not tumble down the stairs that a loud groan came from Virgil. "Ow," He muttered, short of breath. "Hey, can you catch me without socking me in the gut next time, Princey?"

"Hey, I didn't have to catch you at all, Panic! At The Everywh- stair." He grunted as he pulled Virgil onto firm ground.

"Every stair?" Virgil teased.

"Well you seem to panic at every stair. And it was a good pun!"

"Sure, Rainbows."

"Was that supposed to be an insult?"

"Yes. Let's keep going."

"Do you want me to hold your hand so you don't fall again?" Roman asked sarcastically.

"Touch me, and I will personally steal your Disney movies and hide them in the chest with the locks."

Roman gasped. "You wouldn't!"

"Wouldn't I?"

They continued their banter as they eased their way down the stairs, ever slowly. There was an unspoken agreement that talking was better to listen to than the mystery sounds that echoed in the walls, and so they filled the silence. They made sure to stay close to each other in case another slip-up were to occur.

After what seemed like ages, the two finally stepped forward to find flat ground and nearly cried with joy. Roman walked toward the sofa, grateful for familiar ground in the dark, and retrieved his phone, which he had left. He turned on the flashlight and flashed it around the room for a minute in appreciation.

"Oh, bright, oh light, oh sight. How I've missed you."

Virgil gave a slow clap. "Poetry." He said with an edge of sarcasm.

"Oh, hush you Emo Nightmare." He countered playfully. Using the flashlight properly now, he walked over to the doorway and flipped the light switch.

Nothing happened.

"Well, that's not good." Virgil stated.

"No." Roman sighed worriedly, glancing at the 17% battery life of his phone. "No it isn't."

"Isn't this one weird?" Remus pointed at a porcelain doll that was missing the eyes. Two empty, black chasms stared back instead of the glass orbs. "I wonder what happened to the eyes." He added thoughtfully.

"They've been like that for years." Janus replied solemnly. "My mother gouged them out when she was a child."

Remus winced. "Yeesh. That's dark even for me..."

"It is, isn't it?" He sighed bitterly.

Remus turned to another doll. This one looked realistic in an uncanny valley way. She had long braided locks of frizzy hair that was matted and grotesque-looking. Her yellow dress was faded and torn. The edges were frayed and the fabric was wilted. She sat smiling an eerie, painted grin. Her eyes were painted on, and therefore couldn't be removed, but large chunks of hair were missing from her plait. She wore a necklace with large chains and another old padlock for a pendant. It gave the impression that she was chained to something.

"I never liked these dolls." Janus said suddenly. "There's too many bad memories attached." He looked behind him to see the light from the gas lamp gone. "We should go." He said, gripping Virgil's phone.

"Why- oh." Remus also turned to see that the only light came from Virgil's phone. "What happened to the lamp?" He asked.

"I'm not sure, but-" A faint, but shrill scream rang out. Janus jumped and dropped the phone. It took him a solid ten seconds to realize that he'd clung to Remus, and immediately released him and regained his composure. "Sorry..." He muttered.

"It's all good, but what the hell was that?" He said, bending down to pick up the dropped phone. Checking for cracks, he increased the brightness on the flashlight.

"Did it break?" Janus asked with genuine fear in his voice.

"No it's fine." He said. "But seriously, do the ghosts that live here scream often?"

"Ghosts don't live here." Janus said. "But nobody screams, either."

"...Was it Virgil or Roman?" Remus asked, suddenly very serious.

Janus didn't answer at first. He closed his eyes tightly for a few seconds. Upon reopening them he said, "I hope not."

"Well, since the light is gone, we should probably head back downstairs." Remus pointed out.

"Hm. Yes."

The two walked slowly across the room, careful to not step on anything, and stood at the top of the stairs.

"I don't like how dark it is..." Janus mumbled.

"It'll probably be fine..." Remus said with a false confidence. There were a lot of stairs to fall down if one were to slip. "You know what, it probably won't actually. I hate to say this, but we should stay here for now."

Janus looked visibly relieved. "You're right. Come on. I think I have some bean bag chairs in here or something." He backed away from the stairs and walked to another corner of the room. He pulled back a curtain and dragged out two dusty bean bag chairs. "Here. They're dirty, but it's better than the floor."

Remus walked over, and without even bothering to try to dust it off like Janus was currently, he took a seat in one of the chairs. "What time is it?" He asked, yawning.

Janus checked Virgil's phone. "11:46." He said, before turning off the flashlight. It was a good idea to save power since they weren't sure how long they were going to be there for. He settled into the bean bag and fell asleep almost immediately. He wasn't used to staying up this late.

Remus turned the flashlight back on to try to find a blanket and looked over to see Janus already asleep on the bean bag. His blonde hair had once again fallen into his face. He looked perfect, like an oil painting. Remus had the urge to reach over and brush the hair out of his face. He stopped himself though. But then, he remembered that Janus was a heavy sleeper.

He carefully reached out and brushed the locks out of his eyes. _It's so soft..._ He thought. He had another urge to protect this masterpiece from the cruelty of the world. Janus had never said where he'd gotten the scars on the left of his face from. Pink and white gashes that covered the entire half of his face. Whatever it was, it looked violent and Remus wanted to make sure nothing like it happened again. After one last glance at the work of art before him, he turned off the light, abandoning his search for a blanket. He re-situated on the bean bag chair, but unlike Janus, lay there for quite some time without falling asleep.

13%. The battery was draining fast. Roman and Virgil had come to the conclusion that the power had gone out, despite there being no storm outside, and had decided to try to search for Francis. 

"Let's look in the kitchen first." Virgil said, gesturing toward the stairs that led to the first floor.

Roman groaned. "Oh no... Not more stairs..." But regardless, he shone the light in that direction and walked over to them, with Virgil following. They each grabbed hold of opposite banisters and gave each other a look of reassurance before walking down.

It was better this time, with the light. There was a sort of unspoken sense of unease that the two of them shared. Neither had to say anything to know that they were both a little unnerved, to say the least. First, there were the sounds in the attic, then, the lights suddenly went out in the entire house. It was certainly a very strange coincidence, and it made the two of them wonder if Remus was really joking about the ghosts. They said nothing though, for fear of their suspicions being confirmed. And neither really wanted to admit they were afraid.

They made it down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. They tried this switch too, but it also didn't work. 10%. Not good.

"Hey, uh, Francis? Are you- huh?" Roman started, but was distracted by a note left on the counter. "Hey, Virge, look at this."

"A note?" Virgil looked over in the red head's direction. "What's it say?"

"It says," Roman attempted to match Francis's voice as well as possible. "' _Janus, sir, I've left for the local grocery store to retrieve a few items. I shall be back by the estimated time of 12:30 AM. Sincerely, Francis._ '"

Virgil put his hands in his pockets. "So, I guess he won't be back for a little while."

"Well, it's almost midnight, so he probably will."

"Hmm." Virgil began. "So, what do we do until then?"

"We could call your phone and ask Janus."

"Okay, but we've got to hurry."

Remus woke up to a buzzing. It took him a few seconds before he realized it was Virgil's phone. He quickly and answered and whispered, "Hello?"

"Hi, Remus. We're downstairs, and all the power went out. Are you guys coming down soon?"

"What? The power? Why?" He asked sleepily.

"We aren't sure, but none of the lights will turn on and my phone is gonna die soon."

"Where's Francis? Can he fix it?"

"No, he left for the store."

"Okay... Well the lamp went out up here too, so Janus and I are waiting for the lights to come back on so we don't have to walk down the stairs in the dark."

Some disgruntled mumbling was heard from the other end of the phone.

"Janus usually keeps a flashlight underneath the bathroom sink. If your phone dies and you need to call for help at any point, J probably wouldn't mind if you used his phone. Just don't go through it." He paused for a minute to let Roman take in the instructions. "I'll talk to you later."

"Talk to you later." The phone beeped, signalling the call end.

"Remus? Who are you talking to?" A very tired Janus mumbled. He must have woken up while Remus was talking to Roman.

"My brother. He says the lights are out down there too, and Francis is gone right now."

"Oh. Are they okay?"

"It seems like it. Roman didn't mention either of them being hurt, so I assume so."

"Good." Almost immediately, he fell back asleep.

Remus, surprisingly, fell back asleep too.

"Did you find it?" Virgil called.

Roman pulled his head out from under the sink. "No, but it would help if we had some light- ow!" His grumbling was interrupted by the counter, which decided to attack his head as he pulled himself out.

"I told you," Virgil pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Your phone died, and I don't feel comfortable using Janus's phone without his explicit permission."

"I know that..." Roman sighed and massaged the back of his head. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little stressed, I guess."

Virgil stopped to look at Roman. Well, in his general direction, as he couldn't actually see him. "Yeah. I am too." He admitted. "Not being able to see does absolute _wonders_ for my anxiety."

"Don't worry. I'll find the flashlight." Roman smiled into the darkness. "Hera so help me if it doesn't have batteries, though..." He muttered, once again ducking under the counter, careful to not hit his head.

After a few minutes of silence, spare for Virgil's tapping against the door frame he stood in, Roman shouted, "Aha! I think I found it!" He stood up properly. "At least I hope I found- ah yes!" He flicked the light on and shone it around triumphantly.

"Oh good. We can go do something else now." Virgil sighed in relief. "Just be careful not to waste it." He added.

"Actually, why don't we try to find some batteries in case these ones die?" Roman suggested.

"Good idea." Virgil agreed and the two of them left the bathroom in search of double A's.

Luckily, it took much less time to find these, and it was a lucky thing that they thought to check the kitchen drawers first. After Roman stuffed a few of them into his pocket, the two went back up the first set of stairs to the sofa room.

"So, what do we do now?" Virgil asked, taking his original seat on the sofa.

Roman also sat down. "I'm not sure. It doesn't feel right to do too much of anything in Janus's house without him being here, y'know?"

"Tell me about it. I've felt awkward this whole time even with him here. Not because of him specifically, but just being in an unfam-"

"You have?" Roman cut him off, his expression shifting to one of concern. "You could have told me if you weren't comfortable. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said you were coming without asking you first, I-"

"Roman." Virgil interrupted. "It's chill. I'm always awkward. That's kinda my thing." He chuckled a little bit.

"Are you sure? I know you can get really stressed out about st-"

"I'm sure. Besides, I did actually have fun, too."

Roman breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay then. But if you ever feel like I'm pressuring you into doing something, call me out on it please. I would never want you to feel anxious if you didn't have to-" He stopped talking.

"What?" Virgil asked, confused.

"That reminds me." Roman said. "Are you- are you okay with being on the stage and all that? I know you were really upset by it the first day."

"Oh. Well, I don't know. At first I was like, 'no way', but the acting isn't as hard as I thought it would be, and it's actually a little fun. So, maybe it won't be so bad?" Virgil answered truthfully.

Roman smiled. "Well that's good to hear. I'll admit, and maybe this is irrational, but I was a little afraid you would drop out. I know it isn't your favourite thing in the world to work at the theatre, but I love all the fun times we have there."

"Like when we changed all the stage lights to black lights to annoy Critic?" Virgil snickered.

"Exactly!" Roman laughed. "Although, that did take five-fricking-ever."

"Yeah it did."

Their reminiscing ended abruptly when they heard a noise from downstairs.

"Not again..." Roman sighed. But they stood up to go check out what the sound was. They reached the bottom of the stairs to see-

"Oh! Francis! You're back!" Roman exclaimed.

"What happened while I was away? To the lights, namely."

"We don't know. We hoped you could fix it." Virgil answered.

"Hmm. I can certainly try."

It was nearly 1 AM when Remus, being a light sleeper, woke up to the dim light of the gas lamp shining about the room.

 _Yay,_ He thought drowsily. _They fixed the lights._ And fell immediately back to sleep.

It was around 8 AM when Janus woke up naturally. He opened his eyes to find that his arm was not crossed over his chest like his other arm. It was instead outstretched and his fingers were intertwined with Remus's. Well, he had wanted to get up and get ready to go back to the theatre for rehearsal, but he figured he could spare a few moments. So, he simply smiled and stayed curled up on the bean bag chair.

Roughly half an hour later, Remus woke up too. Janus looked up and they both shared a soft smile before silently getting up from the chairs.

Remus stared pointedly at the chairs, before whispering, " _Seed sack seats..._ "

"What?" Janus looked over.

"Bean bag chairs can be called seed sack seats."

Janus gasped. "Oh my goodness, they _can_."

After having a good laugh, the two walked over to the stairs, feeling more ready to surmount the steep, spiraling, and spine-chilling steps.

Janus had a strange thought. "What if. Someone was to nudge another someone down the stairs? Not that anyone ever should!"

"What are you suggesting?" Remus smirked in a way that any sane person would fear.

"I'm not suggesting anything. I just wonder if they would survive?"

"Probably not." They had begun their conquest by now.

By the time they reached the sofa room, Roman and Virgil were already awake and back on the same sofa as before.

"Oh, good you are alive." Virgil said as they approached.

"Did you guys sleep okay? How did you get the lights back on? What even happened?" Janus started spouting questions rapidly. 

"Woah, slow down." Virgil said, but Roman began answering just as fast.

"Yes, we slept fine. Francis came back and fixed the lights somehow. We still aren't sure what happened. There was no storm or anything. Francis called the electricity company, and they said they'd come check it out. The guy on the phone said it was probably just due to old wiring."

"So it wasn't ghosts then? Talk about ghost baiting." Remus sighed.

"Remus, no one else thought it was a ghost." Virgil replied.

"I think we all learned to never go up to the old servants' quarters again." Janus said definitively. 

"Wait, servants' quarters?" Roman asked. "You mean the type of servants' quarters that were in houses like these and had stairs so steep and uneven that people _died_ on them?" His tone had changed to a nervous one.

Virgil's eyes widened. "...So I could have died then."

"Wait, did _you_ scream?" Remus questioned.

"Yeah. I fell. Roman punched me."

Roman was given some not very nice looks. "I didn't punch you, I saved you! Don't say it like that!" He cried defensively.

Virgil noticed Janus and Remus's confused expressions. He did not explain.

"Anygay," Virgil broke the silence. "We should start heading to the theatre. Critic likes us to be early."

"Did you just- nevermind." Roman sighed. 

They set off for the theatre, _despite the fact that Roman's and Remus's phones were dead, Virgil's was almost dead, and Janus forgot his once again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good lord was that a long chapter. Six times the length of my shortest chapter, and three times the length of my longest. However, this is my new favourite chapter. It was incredibly fun to write, so I hope you all enjoyed it. Since it was so long, there's a chance I've made an error (whether grammatically or chronologically or logically) so feel free to either ask questions about anything that didn't make sense or point out something in the comments. If you skipped over the doll part, it was Remus pointing out creepy dolls, to which Janus explained that his mother mutilated them as a child. 
> 
> Anygay, I'll catch you later ladies, men, and non-binary friends! Seeya!


	7. Chapter 7 - A Change in... Quite a Few Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: Cursing, extreme nerdism, cringy fluff (help meee)

“Alright, everyone’s here, yes?” Critic asked the group. “Good, because we’re starting scene two today. Right now, we need Thomas, Virgil, Roman, and Logan.”

The four he’d called followed him onto the stage. After shushing the rest of the room, he continued. 

“We’ll be starting at the line, ‘Where are we?’. Sound good?” The group nodded. “Good. Roman and Thomas, down stage centre. Logan, stage right. Virgil, you come in from the same direction as Logan when I cue you. Got that?” Another set of nods followed by the four of them taking their positions. 

Patton took a seat next to his friend Emile in the audience chairs. 

“Do you, how do, Patton?” Emile smiled, extending a hand. 

Patton shook his hand and replied, “Great! How have you been? It’s been a while since we talked.”

“I’ve been good.” He paused. “Oh, I need to ask you something.” 

Patton nodded for him to continue. 

“You’re good with kids right? Would you mind watching my little cousins tonight? I wouldn’t ask, but I promised Remy I’d go to this thing with him. If not, I can always cancel too-”

“Aw, I’d love to! Elliott and Kai right?” Patton grinned. “They’re such cute kids.”

“Oh, thank you so much Patton! I really didn’t want to have to cancel.” Emile sighed in relief. 

“It’s no problem. I love kiddos.”

“Again, thank you. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to bring a friend to keep you company. The kids go to bed pretty early.”

“Oh, okay. Sounds great. What time do you need me to come by?” Patton asked. 

Emile thought for a second. “Around 8 PM should be fine.”

“Okay, I’ll be there!” Patton gave another cheery smile, which Emile returned. 

A door opened from the back of the room. 

“Hey, babes! Sorry I’m late, I need my caffeine.” Remy took a sip of his chai latte before sashaying toward the audience chairs. 

“Are you serious, Remy?” Critic huffed, looking over in his direction. “Rehearsal started nearly fifteen minutes ago. I told you, fashionably late is five minutes tops!”

“Ugh, whatever. Five, fifteen, basically the same thing.” Remy replied, taking a seat next to Emile. 

“Not the same thing but- ugh. Just be quiet next time…” Critic muttered under his breath. 

Remy turned toward Emile and flashed a small grin. “Hey, Bubblegum. And, Patton, right?”

“Good morning, Remy. And yes, this is my friend Patton.” Emile smiled. He loved when his friend gave him cartoon themed nicknames. “Did you sleep okay? You texted me really late. Sorry I wasn’t awake to answer.”

“Oh. Uh, yeah. I eventually fell asleep around 4 AM.” He answered truthfully. 

“That’s really not healthy. Are you sure you don’t want to look into medication?” Emile asked, his voice filled with concern. 

“Nah, I’ll be fine.” 

Patton, meanwhile, had taken to watching Virgil on the stage. He really was doing much better than expected. He even seemed to be enjoying it a little bit. It was nice to see him stepping out of his comfort zone for once. Patton noticed how well Virgil clicked with his character Emma. Like her, he was strong-willed and determined, but also cautious and vigilant. Patton vaguely wondered if that was intentional, but didn’t think much of it. 

It was around 4 PM when Critic was finally satisfied with their progress on scene two. 

“You Ducklings are free to go. Tomorrow I’ll be out of town, so just work on practicing your lines until I get back, okay?”

A hum of comprehension sounded through the room as the actors gathered once again on the stage. 

“Those of you that practiced on stage for the first time today, excellent job. You’re going to do great.” Critic continued, flashing a warm smile at Virgil in particular. “Now leave. I need to get going.” His smile faded and was replaced with a smirk, which was met with chuckles from around the room. The actors began to fan out and take their leave. 

Patton returned Emile’s small wave as he scooped up his canvas messenger bag and draped the straps over his shoulders. He left the theatre and began walking down the street to his grandmother’s house. He was vaguely aware of someone walking closely behind him, and rather loudly at that, but didn’t think too much of it. He had walked for about five more minutes, turning two corners and stopping once to watch a squirrel that scurried across the sidewalk and up a tree, when he realized the other person was still behind him. He decided to turn around and talk to them. They might have just been going in the same direction. 

He stopped and-

“Logan? Oh hi!” Patton brightened at the sight of his friend. 

“Patton? Oh my, I didn’t realize you were also walking here. Terribly sorry, I was rather focused on something.” The taller of the two shifted his glasses and looked up from his phone at Patton. 

“Oh, that’s okay, Lo. D’you wanna walk together? We seem to be going the same way.”

“Of course, Patton. I was merely heading to the library. I had forgotten that you pass by it to get home.” Logan stepped forward to walk with his friend, as opposed to behind him. The two resumed their trek, careful to not trip on the horribly uneven sidewalks. 

“So, can I ask what you were looking at on your phone?” Patton asked curiously, stuffing his hands into his pockets casually. 

Logan gave a small smile. “Well, I’ve been looking at recent studies in medical science. For obvious reasons.” 

The pair walked by two strangers and overheard a snippet of their conversation- “...No, Ginger. You can’t leave them wondering like that! It's not obvious to anyone but you..." Patton chuckled at how eerily similar the random phrase aligned with his current conversation.

“That’s neat, Logan.” He said, refocusing. “What’d you find?”

Logan proceeded to spout a large sum of words that Patton did not understand, nor did he remember. 

“I have no idea what any of that means, Lo. But it sounds good!” 

‘It is good. And, on top of that. It’s a fascinating topic to research.” Logan gave a genuine smile, a rare sight on the stoic teen. “Speaking of research, we’ve reached the library.” Logan stopped. 

“Oh, so we have.” Patton was slightly curious as to what Logan had planned to check out. “If you aren’t too busy, do you mind if I join you? I don’t have much to do today.”

“Not at all, Patton.” Logan led his bubbly friend up the six concrete stairs and held open the glass door. The two entered and took a seat at one of the round tables near a window. Logan turned over his navy laptop bag to allow several books to slide out and onto the table. Stacking them in his arms, he stood again and walked over to the check-in counter to return them. Patton waited for him to come back before the two of them made their way through the tall shelves. Logan appeared to be looking for something specific, but Patton merely followed. 

Logan walked with determination. Besides being a bit slower, his confident stride was always certain and directed. He always walked with a goal, with purpose. So Patton was surprised when he suddenly stopped. 

“I’ve missed my turn.” He stated with hints of both annoyance and amusement. He turned back with a chuckle and began searching in the section he’d just passed. “Honestly, you’d think I  _ don’t _ come here every day.” He muttered with a smirk. 

Patton watched as he combed through the shelf, pulling out the books that piqued his interest. It was fascinating to watch his quick selection process. Who knew what went on in Logan’s head? Certainly not Patton. His eyes often glazed over as if he were deeply concentrated, though that was the only sign of change from his usual neutral expression. At this moment; however, his eyes shone and he wore the slightest hint of a smile, as he often did when something interested him. It was always somewhat endearing to see his stony nature waived by passion.

It wasn’t until Logan had stacked several new novels in his arms that he stood and motioned for Patton to follow him back to the table. They took their seats once again and Logan opened the book at the top of the stack. Patton watched his friend read for a little while, but eventually turned to watch out the window. He hummed a tune nonchalantly while he watched some goldfinches hop about and peck at the ground. 

“What are you humming?” Patton hadn’t noticed Logan look up from his book. 

“Oh. Uh, I’m not sure.” Patton admitted. “Why?”

Logan shook his head. “No reason. It just reminded me of a song my father used to sing when I was younger.” He gave a fleeting smile before ducking back into his book. 

Patton turned back to the window and traced small circles on the table with his index finger. It was a while before he realized he wasn’t even watching the birds anymore, but rather his vision had glazed over as he thought. Not about anything in particular. A bit about the theatre, a bit about his friends, a bit about his grandmother and his parents, a bit about that new cookie recipe he’d been wanting to try out. Before he knew it, he checked his watch to see it was nearly 7:30 PM. 

“Oh my! I’m so sorry, Lo. I promised Emile I’d watch his cousins for him at 8:00. If you wanted, he said I could bring a friend. If not, that’s okay too.” Patton said, rising from his chair. 

Logan looked up from his book (He had made it through four books by then). “Oh.” He thought for a second. “I’m not very experienced with children, but I can accompany you if you would like.” He stood up also and began stacking the novels once again. “Let me just return the books I’ve finished and check out the others. One moment.” With a quick turn, Logan strode toward the shelf from which he had retrieved the tomes. 

True to his word, it had only been a moment when the dark haired teen returned with considerably less books. He was placing the lot into his bag while he walked back to where Patton still stood by the table. 

“Well then. Shall we proceed?” Logan gestured toward the door, motioning for Patton to lead the way. Patton nodded and after leaving the library, the two made their way to the Picani household. 

They arrived only a few minutes before 8:00. Patton knocked on the wooden door and Emile answered with a relieved smile, letting them in. 

“Oh thank goodness you’re here. I was worried I forgot to ask you entirely.” Emile chuckled. “Remy should be here in a few minutes. Which is probably more like double that.”

Patton smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about that. I lost track of time.” He admitted. 

Emile shook his head. “That’s alright. As long as you’re here now.” He paused. “Oh, I should introduce you to my cousins!” He exclaimed before beckoning two children who were playing Smash Bros Ultimate on the floor of the living room. They paused their game and rushed over to where the teens were standing. 

“Logan, Patton, these are my cousins Kai and Elliott.” Emile turned to the children. “They’re going to watch you for a little while, is that okay?” His cousins nodded and Elliott gave a shy smile. 

“Hiya, kiddos! It’s nice to meet you! I’m Patton.” The dirty-blonde haired teenager grinned. 

Logan adjusted his glasses. “Salutations. I am Logan Crofter.” He offered his left hand and gave a formal shake to each child. 

There was a sudden series of raps at the door, to which Emile stepped over and opened it once again. 

“Heya babes! It’s ya bitch.” Remy said, stepping through the door. “Hi Emmy.” He said after. 

“Hello Remy, are you ready to leave?” Emile smiled, slipping on a sweater over his pale pink button-up. 

Remy sipped his boba tea. “Yup. Whenever you are.” 

Logan and Patton had turned their attention to the children, who had resumed their game. Kai was winning by a landslide. 

Remy and Emile bid their farewells, after Emile left a detailed list of  _ do’s  _ and  _ don’t’s _ for the children, and took their leave. 

“So, what are the advantages of playing as this character, as I can see you’re winning?” Logan asked Kai, staring at the screen. 

Kai, still watching the screen answered, “I’m playing as Fox, he’s faster and more agile, making aerial attacks easier. He’s good against slower characters as long as I’m unpredictable.” 

“I see.” Logan replied. “Might I engage in a round after this match, if that’s alright?”

“Okay, sure.” Kai answered, delivering the final blow to Elliott and reaching for another controller. “You both playing?”

Patton shook his head. “I think I’ll just watch for now. I’m only good at Frogger.” He chuckled. 

Kai handed a set of joy-cons to Logan, who took them and selected the character R.O.B. 

“Are you ready?” Kai asked. Receiving a nod from both Logan and Elliot, he pressed the start button to begin the match. 

Toward the beginning of the match, Logan was figuring out the controls while Kai and Elliott tried to get hits on each other on the other side of the battle stage. After Elliot had been eliminated and Logan managed to grasp the general idea, Kai focused his attention on dodging Logan’s strikes, occasionally using the air as an advantage to land a few shots with Fox’s blaster. Logan; however, had realized that R.O.B, too, was better to fight in the air, and resorted to taking advantage of the jet-pack flying mechanism to get in a few long-ranged shots.

It was a quick match, with Kai coming out as the victor. That’s not to say it wasn’t close, however. 

“You’re pretty good, you know?” Kai commented, setting down the controller and turning to Logan. “Is this your first time playing?”

“I’ve played other games, but not this specific one, nor others of this genre.” Logan answered. 

“Then you’re a fast learner. You almost beat me. That shot while I was trying to recover was a smart move.” 

The two engaged in a conversation about different battle tactics and the pro’s and con’s to each, while Elliot began to fidget with the tassels on a blanket and Patton sat with a dazed expression as he tried to comprehend what the heckity heck was going on. However, instead of sitting there confused, Patton decided to find something fun to do with Elliott while the other two nerded out. 

“Hey, kiddo.” The bubbly teen whispered. “You look bored. Do you want to find something else to do?”

Elliot looked over and gestured toward themself. “Me?” They asked hesitantly.

“Yeah, of course!” Patton smiled, standing before extending a hand to help the child up. The two left the room and stopped in the hallway. “So, what would you like to do?”

“Um. I dunno.” They not-really-answered shyly. 

“Hmm, well, do you like to bake?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never really tried it.”

“Would you like to try it? We can make cookies.” Patton suggested.

“Sure, I guess.”

“Well, I’m sure it will  _ bake _ your day!”

“Did… did you need to say that?” Elliott responded with a hint of smirk.

“Yup! Can’t have your peppy pappy Patton popping puns pointlessly, can you?”

“I don’t know, you probably could.” Elliott gave a real smile this time. 

  
  
  


Remy tossed the freshly emptied bubble tea cup into the trash can as he and Emile passed by it on the sidewalk. 

“Ugh, they really need to make these things bigger. There is no reason I should be able to down a Venti in fifteen minutes.”

“You know they’d be more expensive that way though.”

“Well, yeah but I’d rather pay a little extra for a slightly larger cup then double the price for two cups when I have to go back for another one.”

“That’s fair.” Emile decided. 

The night was warm, with a slight breeze that left wind chimes singing softly. The sun was once again beginning to set (like it does every night, go figure) and the cicadas were chirping loudly like they had nothing better to do than screech at the top of their lungs for a mate. 

_ At least be more discreet about it.  _ Remy thought randomly.  _ Nothing says ‘date me’ like screaming ‘Notice me, Senpai!’ to the entire world in cicad-ian… But I admire their confidence.  _

Remy quit criticizing insect dating methods only after walking headfirst into a lamp post.

“Oh sh- jeez. Stupid lamp post. Watch where you’re going, bitch!” He proceeded to flip off the inanimate object. 

“Remy… you walked into  _ it _ . It isn’t… alive.” Emile said, mildly concerned. “Unless this is Beauty and the Beast.” He added with a shrug. 

“Ugh, yeah I know.” Remy sighed. “I need more caffeine.”

Emile shook his head. “You probably shouldn’t- ah well.” He resigned to the fact that Remy would probably drink coffee ‘til the day he died. “So, where are we even going? You didn’t really say.”

“There’s like, this thing downtown. There’s gonna be live music or something and probably food. I thought it might be fun to get something to eat and listen from the nearby park, where it shouldn’t be as loud.”

“I see. That sounds kinda fun. Like a sort of festival?”

“I guess. It’s not really celebrating anything, it’s just happening.” Remy made to sip his drink before once again realizing it was gone. He sighed again. 

The two arrived on Main Street, where a band was playing a song that had recently become popular, a crowd of people stood along the streets, and the smell of fried food wafted through the air. 

“Oh, look Remy! They have donuts!” Emile grabbed his friend’s hand and pulled him to a food vendor with freshly fried donuts. They decided to get a bag of sugar coated mini donuts to share. Remy offered to pay for them. 

“Oh no, Rem you don’t have to do that. We can split the cost-” Emile assured. 

But Remy shook his head. “Too late, I’m already doing it.” He flashed a smile, which his friend returned with an air of uncertainty. 

They walked to a park close by and sat down at a relatively clean picnic table. It was nice to just chat and listen to the music and the warm summer air was rather relaxing. The two probably sat there for an hour before the sky began to grow dark, simply chatting about all sorts of things. Remy shared his cicada thoughts from earlier, which Emile got a kick out of. Emile talked about a cartoon he started watching called Kipo, and Remy even seemed a little invested in the plot. 

“We’ll have to watch it together at some point. You might like it.” Emile smiled, and Remy honestly believed his heart melted. It was probably the only thing Remy loved more than coffee, seeing Emile get excited about cartoons like Steven Universe or Adventure Time, or whatever it happened to be. Remy didn’t necessarily have any particular desire to watch cartoons but it was worth it for his friend, and so he did. 

Stars began to appear, and the air grew a bit chillier. The band quit playing and most of the vendors began to close as the crowd thinned out. Remy and Emile stayed though, it was now silent and they simply looked up at the stars. Well, Emile looked at the stars. Remy studied Emile, the way his magenta hair poofed a little bit, and the light freckles sprinkled across the bridge of his nose, not unlike the stars his curious gaze was fixed upon. 

“Wouldn’t it be neat if the Gems really did exist in space?” Emile mused, still watching the now navy and white sky. 

“Yeah that’d be dope.” Remy replied, assuming a lovestruck expression. 

“Remy? Are you alright? You look really tired…” Emile asked, looking back down and at Remy with concern. 

_ Oh shit, I’ve really fallen for him haven’t I?  _ Remy thought to himself. “No, I’m fine. The caffeine is wearing off is all.”

“We should head back then, I can walk you home.” Emile stood and made to throw away the emptied plastic bag of mini donuts. 

“Okay then.” Remy also stood and the two of them began walking back the way they came, only making a turn to go down Remy’s street instead of Emile’s. When they reached Remy’s house, they simply stood at the end of the driveway for a minute, saying nothing. 

“Well this was fun. We should do something like this again sometime.” Emile smiled, after a moment. 

“Yeah. I’ll make sure to bring you with, next time I go somewhere. If you want.” 

Emile brushed his hair out of his eyes. “Yeah, of course!”

There was another silence. 

“Well I’ll see you tomorrow?” Emile gave an awkward wave and turned to walk back home. 

Remy simply stood at the end of the driveway, watching as his apparent crush walked back down the street.

  
  
  


“How do they taste?” Patton asked Elliott, slipping off the oven mitts. 

Elliott finished chewing a bite of a fresh red velvet cookie and smiled, “It tastes good.” They answered. 

“Good! Do you want to offer them to Logan and Kai?” 

“Yeah.” 

Patton and Elliott walked back out to the living room, Patton carrying the tray of cookies, where Logan was showing Kai something on his phone. 

“Would you guys like some cookies?” Patton asked. The other two looked up from the phone. Kai immediately reached for one, and Logan was about to decline, but agreed at the sight of Patton’s face. 

Patton took a seat, and Elliott soon followed. “So, whatcha you guys looking at?” Patton asked, setting down the tray. 

“Kai and I were discussing medical advancements, as he showed interest in-”

“Your friend has a metal leg! Isn’t that cool?” Kai burst out, interrupting Logan. 

“Yes, he noticed my prosthesis and wanted to know how it worked so I explained the basics.” Logan gave a small smile.

“Oh, neato!” Patton replied, grinning. His grin dropped though. “Did you-”  
“No, I didn’t say what happened. I deduced that it was an inappropriate topic of discussion with a child.”

Kai and Elliot looked at each other, and then at Logan and Patton in confusion. 

“Don’t worry about it, kiddos.” Patton said, visibly relaxing. 

The door opened, and Emile stepped in, looking mildly baffled, but replaced this expression with a smile. 

“Hey, I’m back. Did you guys have fun?” 

“Yeah!” Kai shouted. “Logan played Smash Bros with me!”

“Ooh, neat!” 

“And Patton and I made cookies. They’re really good.” Elliott added. They insisted that Emile try one, and Emile agreed they tasted wonderful. 

After saying goodbyes and Emile thanking them both once again for coming, Logan and Patton left and began to walk down the road.

“I don’t think you’re as bad with kids as you say you are, Lo.” Patton commented. 

Logan shook his head. “That was simply conversing about a topic that we both take interest in. Regardless of age.”

“Exactly. Most kids don’t want to be treated differently because they’re kids. I think Kai probably appreciated that you talked to him like normal.”

“Oh. Well, if you say so.” Logan shrugged and adjusted his tie. “I’m afraid I still don’t understand how you’re able to comfort them so easily. Their emotions are so… sporadic. One moment they may be perfectly content, and then next one would think they had just discovered Crofter’s Jam or  _ Sherlock _ had never existed.” 

“It’s all about remembering what it was like to be in their shoes. Just knowing how you would want to be comforted in that situation.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” They reached the corner of the street where they would have to part ways and stopped. 

“I’ll see you later, Lo. Sleep well!” Patton said with a small smile and a wave, turning down into the street to his home. 

Logan nodded. “You as well, Patton. Have a good rest of your evening.” He returned the smile ever so subtly. 

Patton began to walk the rest of the way home, smiling as he watched the faint stars above him. Logan; however, did not turn to go home, and instead went back to the library. He pulled a set of keys from his pocket as he approached the locked doors. He neglected to re-lock them; however, as he stepped inside and pocketed the keychain. He took his original seat next to the window once again and retrieved a book from his bag. Opening to the page he left off on, he began to read once again, this time by lamp light. He was always very grateful that his aunt, who worked at this library and had for quite some time, usually let him stay beyond closing hours as long as he was quiet about it. 

He last remembered reading about a street full of people with shades of red hair in the fourth story of  _ Sherlock Holmes _ , when he noticed the page had grown fuzzy and he wasn’t taking in any of the words he was staring at. He shook his head and blinked furiously, determined to finish the story. However, it wasn’t long before he fell asleep entirely, without even realizing he had done so. His glasses slid forward on his nose and his hair poofed slightly out of place, and he sat slumped over in his chair, facedown on the table, with his book still open and the lamp still on. 

  
  
  


Critic knew something was wrong the moment he left the theatre for the day. Which was around 6:36:47 PM, if he had to guess. The breeze was blowing in the wrong direction, to start. On top of that, the day was too short. The sun began sinking roughly 34.2 minutes early. Furthermore, there was one more cicada than yesterday. And of course, who couldn’t have noticed the dirty, rusty, weathered, and worn ‘Welcome To Twin Pines’ sign he passed by everyday on his way home was sparkling fresh and new. 

While these may have seemed like minor things that could be explained away in minutes, they didn’t call him  _ Critic _ for nothing. Even something as small as a cicada could be world-changing. However, he wasn’t entirely sure what to do about any of them. He had until precisely tomorrow-morning-ish-sometime to… to what, exactly? He didn’t have a plan, he didn’t have a goal- No. He had a goal. Keep his ducklings safe. That was the goal. So he set off to do just that. 

  
  
  


When Logan awoke the next morning, he realized three things all at once. The first, he was no longer in his grey, long-sleeved button-up and navy jeans, they were instead replaced with a white dress shirt covered by a black frock coat and slim black slacks. The second, his book, lamp, and contents of his bag were all replaced with a journal, a candlestick, and several other journals and various books and documents. The third, he was no longer in his town library. This library was even older than the one of Twin Pines and was once again full of scholars; however, these weren’t merely college students and children who were forced by their parents to do summer reading. No, these were men in outfits similar to Logan’s new one, and he recognized none of them. 

Sitting up in a panic, he gathered “his” book into his laptop bag and near as well as sprinted out the door of the library, knocking his chair to the floor in the process. He slowed to a stop at the bottom of the concrete steps and looked up into the grey sky.   
_I have to find someone._ He thought. _Patton, Virgil, anyone._ His eyes scanned the streets for anyone who looked remotely familiar, but his efforts were futile, for there wasn’t a single being outside the library save for a squirrel who looked rather pleased to have found a walnut. He decided to try and find Patton at his house, since it was the closest to where he stood. 

As he walked, he tried to make sense of the situation and figuratively retrace his steps. He remembered falling asleep at the library over his book, and then what? Who had changed his clothes, or taken his things? Surely his aunt would have woken him before opening the library? But where was she? Hundreds of unanswered questions stewed in his mind, but he pushed them aside as he rang Patton’s doorbell. 

He waited a few moments before a groggy Pattton opened the door. 

“Oh, thank Newton you’re here.”  
“Wh-why so early, Lo?” Patton asked mid-yawn. “Whasappenin- What are you wearing?” He was suddenly wide-awake. 

“I’m not sure. It appears to be some sort of Victorian Age inspired outfit, but I’m not sure why or where it came from. I think the better question is, what are you wearing?” 

Patton looked down to see himself in a Greek chiton. “Um, aren’t these clothes from Ancient Greece?” Patton asked, examining the fabric. 

“It appears that way, yes.” Logan answered. He couldn’t help but wonder if this situation was tied to their characters in the play, or if it was all some elaborate prank. “Shall we try to find the others?”

“How about I wake up first and you come inside and tell me what’s going on?” He held the door for Logan to walk through. 

“Except I have no idea what’s going on. I woke up in the library in different clothes and surrounded by strangers. I think the best plan is to find anyone else who might have experienced something similar.” Logan sat down on Patton’s sofa and waited to continue until he returned from the kitchen. 

“You think this happened to other people too?” He quickly added, “Oh, do you want a coffee at all, Lo?”

“No, thank you, Patton.” Logan replied solemnly. “And yes, I’ve formed a quick hypothesis in the few short minutes. We seem to be… what’s the word… representing? Our stage characters, and I believe some of our fellow actors may be encountering something similar. However, that is just a theory. A nonsensical theory, at that.”

“Hmm.” Patton hummed in agreement. “That would make a little sense. I have no idea what caused all this, though.”

“Well, I suggest that we find the others to begin.” Logan stood. “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I can be, waking up in a Greek dress at 7 in the morning by my friend who’s dressed like a Victorian to go find our other friends who may or may not be in the same situation.”

“You have near perfectly summed up this morning.” Logan shook his head. “But let’s not distract ourselves.” And the two of them left the house in search of the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... that took a weird turn didn't it? I wish I could say that was anywhere near my original plan for the story, but I think it was getting a little too boring so I decided to spice it up a bit. I'm not very happy with this chapter, both the length and writing itself. But it's already been too long since the last one so at least it's here. But anyway, I do hope y'all could enjoy at least a little bit, and make sure to point out any grammatical, spelling, logical, or chronological errors or drop a comment if you have questions (or y'know, just drop a comment in general, if you want ^-^) and I'll catch you later ladies, men, and non-binary friends! Seeya!


	8. Chapter 8 - Confusion and Discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty much just expect cursing in every chapter I guess.   
> Other Trigger Warnings: Mention of knife and violence, romantic tension (That will maybe make you want to scream. Perhaps), French (If you get this joke, good job).

Virgil was very confused, to say the least, when he woke up wearing a Victorian nightgown. 

“Umm, what?” He deduced that it was most likely a strange dream and went back to sleep. That is, until a loud series of raps at his front door woke him up again. 

He groaned loudly and got up from his bed slowly. He heard the knocking again as he opened his bedroom door and stepped out into the hallway. Deciding it was probably urgent since the person  _ would not shut up _ , he walked a little faster and didn’t even bother to glance through the window before pulling the door open. 

“Logan? And Patton? I don’t even wake up for school this early, what are you doing?”

Logan was going to lecture him on the fact that he should probably wake up before 7:30 to be at school by 8:00, but shook his head and decided to focus on the more prominent issue at hand. 

“Virgil, have you stopped to take a moment and look at what you’re wearing?”

The emo looked down and blinked. “Are you serious? I thought this was a dream!” He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a few seconds. He sighed. “I’m not dealing with this. For once this week I don’t have to do anything and I intend to embrace that. Now, if you excuse me, I have nothing to do.” He turned and began to walk back to his bedroom. 

“Kiddo, come back! We don’t know what’s happening, but I think we have to work through it together.”

“Yeah, we would, wouldn’t we? With the power of  _ friendship _ !” He replied sarcastically. 

“Virgil.” Logan said his name with such authority that Virgil stopped in his tracks. 

He groaned dramatically, “What?” He turned back around and tried to stuff his hands in his pockets, only to be faced with the disappointing fact that the nightgown did not have pockets. “I’m too tired for this, Lo.”

“We could be facing something that goes entirely against every piece of logic we have ever known. The streets were completely bare of people-”

“Probably because it’s 7 in the fricking morning!”

“And we all woke up in clothes that match our characters in the play  _ A Trip Through Time _ .”

“That’s pr- wait actually yeah, that’s definitely not normal. But still, I’m tired.”

“Kiddo, please.” Patton pleaded. “We think it might have something to do with the play, and so we’re just trying to figure out what happened and why. We want to see if anyone else was affected.” 

“Well, you saw that I’m in an old dress now. Can I go back to bed?”

“I think it would be best if you came with us. At least until we find out what’s happening.” Logan reasoned. 

Virgil knew he wasn’t going to win this one. He rolled his eyes and with a sigh. “Fine. But you owe me.” He began to retreat to his bedroom. “Just let me find something else to wear.”

It wasn’t long before Logan and Patton heard an exasperated “Are you kidding me!?” from the other room. 

The violet-haired teen walked out of the room holding a Victorian age dress and still wearing both the nightgown and an annoyed expression. “This was legit the only thing in my closet.”

“Well I guess there’s only one thing you can do.” Patton shrugged. 

“You mean I have to wear this?” Virgil held up the black and grey gown that was taller than him. 

“Don’t worry, kiddo! You won’t be the only one wearing a dress.” Patton said with a small smile. 

“It’s not the dress I’m worried about, although wearing it in front of half the town doesn’t exactly fill me with joy. No, the fact that this dress is for someone who doesn’t have to wear stilts to reach the top shelf. Not to mention, how am I supposed to walk while wearing seventeen layers of petticoats?” Virgil frowned at Patton with a raised eyebrow. 

“If you recall, the people in town seem to have disappeared, except for in the library, oddly enough.” Logan pointed out. 

“If  _ you _ recall,” Virgil countered. “I said it’s early in the morning and people are probably just asleep.”

“Well then you’d best hurry and put that dress on before they wake up.” Logan crossed his arms before adding, “And also, there aren’t nearly as many petticoats as you might think.”

Virgil rolled his eyes and returned to his room for what seemed like the millionth time. (It wasn’t nearly that many times.) 

The other two did have to wait longer this time, but eventually their friend returned, he now donned the aforementioned dress. Though he walked slowly, he did nearly trip, and was extremely annoyed. 

“This is a pain to walk in. Let’s just figure this out fast.” Virgil crossed his arms. 

The three of them left the house, and headed in the direction of Roman and Remus’s. It was a fair assumption by this point to say that the twins had also been affected. 

“So, do you have any guesses as to why this is happening? Did you guys do any weird voodoo shit yesterday?” Virgil questioned while they walked. 

“I haven’t the slightest idea. The last thing I remember doing was reading one of the Sherlock Holmes stories before I fell asleep.” Logan replied, shaking his head. 

“So reading about him turned you into Sherlock, what about you Patton? Were you reading Percy Jackson?”

Patton began to reply but Logan interrupted, “Wait no- I’m sure it has nothing to do with that!”

Virgil snickered. “Yes, I’m sure and that’s why you’re trying so hard to cover it up.” He said sarcastically with a sly smirk. 

Patton, too, gave a grin. “Are you implying that Logan performed a magic spell last night to turn into Sherlock?”

“Magic isn’t real and even if it was I have no desire to do that!” Logan’s cheeks coloured slightly. 

“If magic isn’t real, explain how I woke up in a dress.” Virgil retorted. 

Logan merely grunted and didn’t respond. 

They eventually reached the Aldrich household, but unlike Virgil and Patton, the twins did not have to be woken up. 

“Greetings fine gentleme- Oh, Virge I love the dress!” Roman squealed, approaching the group before they even reached the front door. 

“Um. Thanks?” Virgil wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. 

“So you all woke up in your character’s outfits and settings, too?” Roman asked, cutting immediately to the chase. 

“Yes. I presume that happened with you and Remus as well?” Logan raised an eyebrow. 

“Yup. I woke up and was dressed in my prince costume for Prince William, but I didn’t remember putting it on last night, because that would have been weird-”

“Roman.” Logan cut off his tangent. 

“Right. Anyway, so I woke up in these fancy clothes and everything in my room was ten times fancier, which was epic, and then I went down to the kitchen, and it was like it was a boat kitchen. Like a pirate ship, and then I saw that Remus was wearing a pirate outfit so I decided that we had been mysteriously sent to the settings of our characters. And then I came outside to sing-”

He was interrupted by Remus sprinting by like some sort of anime character and screaming, “I LOOK LIKE A PIRATE! WHEEE!” 

Roman attempted to run after him, but Logan quickly made a firm grasp to the back of his collar and held him back. Roman sighed sadly, but finished his sentence, “I came out to sing and then you guys showed up. 

“I see. And you don’t have any idea why this is happening?” Logan questioned. 

“Not a clue, my friends.”

“Well, would you and Remus come with us to find out?” Patton asked. 

Remus reappeared out of seemingly nowhere causing everyone to jump when he spoke. “Are we taking Janus with, too?” 

“Of course. We’d like to talk to anyone who might be involved.”

The twins glanced at each other, hardly even considering before agreeing to come with. 

“Then what the slippery silly string are we waiting for?” Remus shouted, before sprinting off again toward Janus’s house. Roman successfully chased after him this time, as Logan made no attempt to stop him. 

  
  
  


Janus woke up to a morning like any other. He shut off his alarm at 7:00, didn’t notice that his wardrobe had changed at all, and after readying himself for the day, he opened the back screen door and the gate to the garden and sat under his usual tree. Although it was grey and cloudy that morning, he could still enjoy the quiet of his garden and just listen to the faint sound of trickling water from the stream. He picked a daffodil from a nearby bush and spun the stem between his fingers. Eventually he closed his eyes, and he was so lost in his own world that he didn’t hear his front door being thrown open rather aggressively. 

He was enjoying the quiet, calm, still, until-

“JANUS, JAY-JAY, LOOK! I’M A PIRATE!” Remus shouted suddenly, breaking the calm. Janus hardly flinched though, despite the loud noise.

“Hello Remus. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Janus asked smoothly, not even opening his eyes. 

“I’m a pirate now!” He repeated. He then hopped over to where Janus sat, before squatting down and cocking his head to the side. “Wait, did nothing happen to you?” Remus was confused as to why Janus seemed to be unaware of the situation. 

“What?” Janus opened his eyes. “What do you mean by that? Did you do something?”

Remus didn’t answer, but merely offered Janus a hand to help him up silently. He stared at Janus strangely. 

Janus took it, but not as silently. “Remus? What are you talking about?” And it was at this moment he got a real look at his friend’s outfit and understood the exclamation about being a pirate. 

It wasn’t unlike Remus to wear extremely eccentric clothes for no reason, but Janus couldn’t help but wonder, where did he even  _ get _ a pirate outfit? 

He wore a grey shirt, with a dark green leather jacket with a large number of silver coloured buttons over top of it, and loose black pants tucked into  cavalier boots. As well as a belt and several strips of fabric tied around his waist.

Janus decided that if his friend wasn’t going to answer about what was going on, he was  _ certainly _ going to explain his strange getup. 

Remus turned and began to walk back into Janus’s house and then through the house, without letting go of Janus’s hand. He stopped to open the front door, but realized he still had Janus’s hand in his. Almost in sync, the two of them looked down at their clasped hands, back up at each other, and then looked away blushing. 

Remus cleared his throat after a minute and opened the door. Janus followed his friend outside and was met with the sight of Virgil and some of his other friends. 

“Um, hello people who  _ totally _ live here. Are any of you willing to explain why you’re here because I am  _ one hundred percent _ aware of what’s going on?” Janus honestly wasn’t surprised anymore to see everyone else dressed in strange outfits as well. 

Except the group already seemed to be in deep conversation. They ignored Janus’s question, so instead of shouting over them, he just examined the strangeness of it all. He studied all of their outfits, trying to put together a theme for the randomness. What was the correlation amongst a Victorian style dress, an ancient Grecian chiton, a detective outfit, pirate clothes, and Medieval royal apparel? He overheard snippets of their conversation, but didn’t understand what they were talking about in the slightest. 

He glanced over at Remus and gave a look of ‘ _ What’s happening? _ ’. Remus however, just shrugged. “We got clothes.” He said simply. 

The group stopped talking and turned to Janus, who now felt uncomfortable. “Sure. Just don’t explain anything to me because I am  _ so _ aware of what’s going on and why you’re all crowded outside my house wearing ridiculous outfits.” 

“You were able to wear your normal clothes?” Virgil asked suddenly, and almost bitterly for some reason. 

Janus blinked in confusion. “Yes? What does that have to do with anything? Can someone explain?”

The other five just stared at him with mixed expressions that Janus had no idea what to make of. Logan appeared to be studying him, while Virgil appeared annoyed. Patton and Roman seemed to be just confused, and Remus looked slightly nervous, oddly. 

“So you didn’t wake up in unfamiliar clothes?” Patton questioned. 

“No?” Janus hated answering questions with answers that sounded like questions. 

“Your room wasn’t changed at all?” Roman chimed. 

Janus was growing increasingly more frustrated. “Was it supposed to be?”

Logan also asked a question Janus didn’t understand. “Were there any strangers in your house? Or lack of people you recognize?” Well, two questions. 

“What? No! I mean, I haven’t seen Francis yet this morning but it’s also early so-”

“Guys, wait.” Virgil stopped the questions. “Janus, your character is from the 1920’s right?”

Finally a question he could give a real answer to. “Yes, But I still don’t see- Oh.” It clicked in his head, they were all dressed like their characters in the play. But, why?

“Oh!” Roman looked as though something clicked in his brain as well. “Janus already dresses like the 1920’s! That must be why his clothes didn’t change!”

“What? I do?” And Roman had managed to confuse Janus more. “What do you mean  _ change _ ?”

“Yeah, with your button-up shirts and suspenders, the only other thing you need is a fedora or a newsboy hat.” Roman explained. 

“A what now.” Janus replied flatly. 

Virgil was not amused. “If I have to wear this dress and risk nearly falling to my death again,” He ignored Roman’s protests of  _ You would not fall to your death in a dress! _ And continued, “You can handle a  _ hat _ .”

Janus rolled his eyes and waved his hand dramatically. “Right, because I have a ‘20s hat just lying around.” 

“Jay, you have nightmare dolls in your attic! Why  _ wouldn’t _ you have a random fedora?” Remus pointed out. 

“Did you look for one?” Virgil crossed his arms. “I woke up and found this in my closet.”

“Well, no but- Wait, you found that in your closet?”

Logan answered, “Yes, unlike the rest of us, Virgil woke up in different clothes than the dress he wears now.”

“Wait, woke up in? Wha-” 

“Don’t worry about that for now, kiddo. We’ll explain along the way.” Patton smiled. 

“Along the way to where?”

“To… Well we aren’t sure yet, but we’re going to find out what’s happening.” Logan said. 

“And I’m coming along, why?”

“Come on, Janus. Don’t tell me you’re not at least a little curious.” Remus pouted, crossing his arms. 

Janus blinked. “Oh no, I’m not curious at  _ all _ . Fine, I’ll come.” 

Roman raised an eyebrow and said, “Well. That was fast.” He shook his head and continued. “Go look for a hat quick, it might be important.”

“I’m sure.” Janus once again rolled his eyes before turning back into the house to find something he wasn’t sure was even there. 

“I’ll help you look for one.” Remus said, and made to follow Janus. “You never know where one could be hiding…” He gave an unsettling laugh. 

Janus sighed. “Why must you say it like that?” He gave a small smile, though. 

It actually wasn’t hard to find the hat. It was a black scala wool fedora, which happened to go quite nicely with his yellow shirt and matched his black suspenders and slacks. 

“Aw, Jay-Jay, the hat suits you so well.” Remus commented. 

Janus looked up from trying to find his gloves. “It does?”

Remus nodded. “Yeah, you look very… snazzy.”

Janus went slightly pink in the face at the same time he nearly snorted. “Snazzy, huh? That’s certainly a word.”

Remus stuck out his tongue. “Well think of it like ‘snake’ plus ‘jazzy’. You like jazz don’t you?”

"That's just not a word I would have expected you to use." Janus explained as his laughter died down. "But yes, I do like jazz."

“Oh fuck off, I can use whatever words I want.” Remus said, though he was laughing too. 

The shorter blonde smirked. “I’m aware of that, and yet surprisingly, that will not stop me from making fun of you for it.” He chuckled again. 

“You’re not nice to me.” 

“Don’t feel too special. I’m not nice to anyone.” 

“You’re nice to your snakes!”

“That’s different.”

Remus mocked offense, but then his expression softened into a warm grin. “I know I’ve said this, but you’re adorable, Janus.” He said. He teased, but there was hidden sincerity in his words. 

“You say that and yet, it’s not true.” Janus countered, tipping his hat in attempt to hide his scarlet face. 

“What? Of course it is!” Remus stepped closer. “You’re all old-fashioned, and you fluster easily, and don’t act like you aren’t the most precious thing on the planet with your snakes.”

“W-what?” Janus’s eyes widened. “You’re not serious.”

“I’m deadly serious.” Remus stated. “I’m also deadly, but that’s beside the point.” He reached forward slowly and cupped his “friend’s” face in his hand. He looked him directly in the eyes as though asking, ‘ _ Is this okay? _ ’. Janus gave a microscopic nod, but stayed mostly paralyzed, his face the colour of a strawberry. 

Remus took Janus’s hand once again, and leaned close to him. Their faces were mere centimetres away when they heard footsteps from outside the door. They both froze and let go of each other quickly, turning away. 

Janus coughed awkwardly. “Uh, we should… probably go…” 

“Yeah…”

  
  
  
  


“I shouldn’t have told him he needed the hat! It’s been five million years already!” Roman exclaimed.

“On the contrary, it’s only been three minutes, Roman.” Logan corrected. “But, yes. Perhaps it was unwise to claim the headwear was necessary.”

“Is it really that hard to find?” Patton wondered aloud. 

Virgil shook his head. “It might not even be there and we’re wasting my sleep time.”

“I’m going to go get them. We probably don’t need it anyway.” Roman declared, pushing open the door to retrieve the other two. 

He found them already on their way back to the group. They seemed to be awkwardly avoiding each other’s gaze and Roman, though he was desperately curious, didn’t question them about it. “Took you long enough. You found it then?”

“No.” Janus said sarcastically, gesturing to the hat. “I do hope it was important since we’ve wasted five minutes in our quest to  _ somewhere _ .”

Roman scoffed. “Excuse me, but you’re the one that took forever finding it!” 

“You made me go find it!”

“You guys chill, it’s a hat. If it was something more important like a large, sharp knife, I’d understand.” Remus cut in. 

“You’re right.” Roman admitted. “Let’s just get going.” 

They returned to the group where Logan was attempting to keep Virgil awake. 

“Logan you woke me up to come on this field trip, just let me sleep for two seconds.” Virgil complained. 

“Too late, Virge.” Roman interrupted, exiting the house with his brother and Janus in tow. “I’m already back.”

Virgil groaned. “Fine, but where are we even going?”

“Well, so far, everyone with major roles has been affected, so it is my guess that we need to retrieve Thomas as well.” Logan supplied. 

“Let’s go then!” Roman lifted his sword into the air. 

“Where did you get a sword?” Janus asked.   
Roman shrugged. “It appeared in my hand a second ago.”

They arrived at Thomas’s house to see that his apparel had not changed. However, the group was less surprised this time. 

“So, you’re saying you woke up in these outfits?” Thomas asked, standing in his doorway. 

“Yes, for the most part.” Logan answered. “But you haven’t changed because your character doesn’t represent any particular time period, correct?” 

“Uh, I guess so?” Thomas shrugged. “I play Jason Anderson, so I guess he just wears normal modern stuff.”

Logan nodded. “Well, you may not have been affected greatly, but would you like to accompany us?”

“Well, I would…” He started. “But I promised Joan and Talyn that we’d go for lunch today. And I’m really tired.” 

“I see. Very well, get some rest.” 

“What?” Virgil sputtered. “He gets to go back to bed, but I don’t? How is that fair?”

“Come on Virgil, you should know that life is  _ totally _ fair, and that is  _ always _ true without exception.” Janus pointed out with his usual sarcasm. 

Patton tried to sweeten the deal, “I’ll make you cookies, kiddo.”

Virgil perked up at the mention of Patton’s cookies, but still continued to grumble while the others discussed where to go next. They were interrupted; however, when a figure approached them. 

“Ducklings! How are you doing- Nevermind I don’t care.” Critic walked up to the group wearing a tasseled black scarf and carrying a latte. He smirked, “I see you’re enjoying your new get-up?”

Virgil was quick to respond, “No. What the hell is going on?” He said flatly. 

Critic took a slow sip of his coffee and rolled his eyes. “You know, I’m not entirely sure but it most likely has something to do with the play. I’m guessing.”

“Well… You wrote the play, did you not? You really don’t have any idea what’s happening-” Logan began but stopped mid-sentence. “Wait. How did you know to find us?”

Critic froze. “I… well… I just-”

“Oh spill it, old man!” Roman placed his hands on his hips. 

Critic scoffed. “Excuse me, I’m not  _ that _ much older than you!”

“Kiddo, could you please tell us what’s going on?” Patton attempted. 

“Now I know I said I wasn’t old, but being called ‘kiddo’ is even weirder-”

“CRITIC!” Virgil shouted, cutting off the man’s rambling. 

“Alright fine. I know what’s happening, but uh,  _ je ne sais pas pourquoi. _ ” 

“You speak French?” Roman blinked. 

“I speak… that phrase. And a few phrases very similar to that.” Critic shrugged. “I forgot most of what I learned in my high school French class.”

“And for those of us who don’t speak baguette, what did you say?” Virgil huffed. 

“I said, ‘I know what’s happening, but I don’t know why.’ Come on, learn basic romance languages.”

“I can assure you, nothing about French is  _ basic _ .” Roman pointed out. 

“You’re right, it’s really not-”

“Critic! Tell us what is happening and if you dodge the question one more time you’ll have to dodge a lot more than that!” Virgil once again cut in, raising his fist threateningly. 

“Okay, okay!” Critic let out a deep exhale and closed his eyes. “Let me show you.” And on that ominous note, the party’s surroundings began to change. A white mist swirled around and spinning winds lifted the loose fabric of their clothes, and frankly, it looked quite like a dramatic film scene. The sky grew dark and grey and the town around them vanished. 

When the fog cleared and the sky lightened again, they were no longer in the small town of Twin Pines. And Critic’s outfit had changed as well. His black knit scarf had increased in length to become a full cloak, and he now carried an ebony staff with silver markings, which replaced his latte. 

“Listen up Fives and Roman, a Ten is speaking-”

“Wait- What am I then?” Roman interrupted. 

Critic rolled his eyes. “An Eight probably.” He ignored Roman’s arrogant smirk and continued. “Anyway, as you’ve suspected, this does have to do with the play. You’ve assumed the personas of your roles, for some reason. I’m not sure why yet. But I think I know how I can get you back to normal. Any questions so far?”

Janus raised his hand. “It would be simply  _ pointless _ to know where we are right now.” He commented sarcastically.

Critic glanced around. “We seem to be in some sort of forest. Which is not what I was going for at all.”

The forest was thick and it was still grey and cloudy. The moss was damp and the leaves were shiny with rain. A thick fog hovered above the ground, obscuring large amounts of the area. 

“How did we get here?” Virgil asked this time, not bothering to raise his hand. 

“I magicked you here, what does it look like?” Critic replied sassily. When he received (rightfully) confused looks, he sighed and continued. “I’m a mage. And before you ask, no I’m not from your world or whatever, I just showed up once and got too attached to Barbie movies to leave.”

There was a range of expressions. This included: confusion, boredom, excitement, worry, and near frustration. 

“You’re a what? Where are you from? When and how did you get to-” Logan began to pelt questions at the director but Virgil silenced him with a shushing motion.

“Just- We’ll deal with that later. How about  _ you _ -” He pointed at Critic. “Explain what is happening. And how to fix it.”

Critic nodded. “Something ended up in your world that doesn’t belong there, which caused an imbalance. For some reason, this put you in the places of your character roles.” He took a deep breath before going on. “I’m afraid the only way to fix it is to experience the story as it goes. I tried to take you to Prince William’s castle, but I guess we’re in a forest.”

“Experience the story, what does that mean?” Roman wondered aloud. 

“I believe it means we must assume the roles of the characters in the fashion the story suggests.” Logan stated, but looked to Critic for confirmation. 

“I asked for the simple explanation, nerd.” Roman said, crossing his arms. 

“ _ Fashion _ , Logan? Was that a pun?” Patton interjected, grinning. 

“No it was not!”

“The play is barely about fashion anyway, you guys.” Critic ‘pointed out’. Which he shouldn’t have done. 

“That is literally the opposite of what you said the first day!” Virgil shouted, waving his arms. 

“Well- I-” 

“This is irrelevant because I did not make a pun!”

Roman tried to cut in, “I still don’t understand what we’re doing-”

“I told you, you have to go through the story as your characters-”

“Would everyone shut up!?” Janus’s high pitched shriek sliced through the shouting and silenced everyone. They looked up to see him standing a ways away and wearing a worried expression. “Where the hell is Remus?”

“Oh shit….” Critic muttered. “He was here, right?”

“I last saw him when we were outside Thomas’s house. Then I noticed he disappeared after I asked where we were.” Janus replied.

“I…” Critic wasn’t sure what to say. 

Logan spoke up instead. “Critic, you said we have to experience the story as our characters, correct?” He took the man’s nod as encouragement to continue. “Is it possible your magic sent Remus to where the other characters find Richard Davis in the story?”

The director seemed to consider this for a moment. “It is possible, yes. But in theory, that would mean everyone except for Thomas would be taken somewhere else.” 

As if on cue, Janus appeared to poof from existence. 

“Oh my gosh! Janus!” Patton cried, covering his mouth in shock. “Is he going to be okay?”

“If our hypothesis is correct, he should be fine.” Logan stated. 

“Well I’m guessing you’ll all end up teleporting somewhere else within the next few minutes,” Critic said. “Most likely in reverse order of appearance.”

“So I’m next then?” Patton asked, counting on his fingers.

“It seems that way.”

They sat in silence for a few seconds before Roman shouted, “But what about Thomas?” He looked over at Logan and Critic. “He’s the lead role! Will he get teleported too?”

“That’s… certainly important. Hopefully he will appear if his attendance is necessary to free us from this strange phenomenon.” Logan paused. “Though I hate to go back on my allowance of his exclusion, if he is also affected, it is best to try to get out of this with his assistance.”

Just then, Patton disappeared as quickly as Janus had. Meanwhile; Virgil, who had taken a seat on the wet ground and fallen asleep, woke with a start. 

“Wait hold on-” He seemed to realize he had woken from a dream and cut off his speech. Blinking himself to full consciousness, he looked around in surprise. “Where’d Janus and Patton go?” 

“We’ve come to the conclusion that we’re each being moved to the place where our characters are first introduced, in reverse order of introduction.” Logan explained quickly. “Which means you and I are next.”

“Oh. Um.” Virgil took a second to digest that. “You know, that’s not even the weirdest thing to happen today.”

“I’ll have to agree with you on that.” The spectacled man said. 

Roman looked up again. “So, will we have to follow the lines and stuff word for word? And all the actions?” 

Critic thought for a minute. “I don’t think so. Just keep along with the general story and you should be fine.” 

“That’s good.” Virgil said. “Because there is no way I would be able to do the whole thing perfectly in a potentially life or death situation.” 

“Well do at least try to use this as a sort of practice for the real thing, it might help to really get the feel of the setting.” Critic instructed. 

Virgil hardly had time to nod before he and Logan vanished as well. 

Roman gripped his sword. “Well then, I guess it’s just me left then.”

“Just remember, you have to wait for Thomas before you go find Virgil and Logan.” Critic reminded. “If he doesn’t appear, I’ll come get you and play as Jason.”

“What are you going to do if he does show up?”

“I’ll probably keep watch from a distance to make sure none of you screw up.” Critic replied. “And try to figure out why this is happening.”

Roman nodded. “Makes sense.” Only an instant later, he disappeared from the forest and found himself in a bedchamber fit for a prince. 

_ Ooh, _ He thought, examining his surroundings.  _ Well isn’t this fancy? _ He knew he just had to wait for a little bit until Thomas or Critic appeared in the ballroom, since his opening narration probably wasn’t necessary to the story. He wasn’t sure how long he had to wait, so he left his room in search of the ballroom. He came across a few servants and maids, all of whom looked familiar on his way through the hallways.

_ Remus would like these. _ He realized, taking notice of the paintings on the walls.  _ He always liked art. _ He was struck with a sort of guilt. There was a possibility he would never see his twin again, and he still felt like they hardly knew each other. He began to wish that he had taken more time to build a stronger bond with his brother.

“Oh well.” He sighed. “There’s nothing I can do about that now. If I focus on doing this right, then I should have all the time in the world to make it up to him.” He tried to distract himself, but when he entered the ballroom, he couldn’t help but think about what Remus would say about it: ‘Why have a ballroom with no balls?’

He chuckled slightly, but his attention was immediately deviated when there was a flash of light from the centre of the room. 

Thomas now stood there, looking wildly confused. He noticed Roman standing there and gasped. “Roman? Where-” He glanced around at his surroundings. “H-how did I get here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh yeah. So this is happening. Sorry it took a month... Hopefully I managed to clear up some of your questions from the last chapter, but if you're still confused you can always leave a comment about any questions you have or about logical, chronological, or grammatical/spelling errors. I may not be able to answer some questions since I don't want to spoil anything, but I can probably give a hint at least. But anyway, again I apologize for the lateness, but I should have another oneshot done relatively soon in my other book. (Not the co-written one. That's... I don't think I could explain that one.) I hope you enjoyed whatever this chapter is and I'll catch you hopefully sooner rather than later ladies, men, and non-binary friends! Seeya!


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